Drugs saga could be Carney's making: Noyce Cronulla believe the drugs crisis engulfing the NRL club could be an inadvertent carrot in contract negotiations with Todd Carney - claiming the star pivot could be the man to lead the Sharks out of their dark days. The re-signing of Carney - off contract at the end of 2013 and being chased hard by St George Illawarra and Penrith - has proved an untimely distraction amid the ongoing ASADA investigations. Carney is not one of the 14 Sharks players believed to be in ASADA's sights, but the uncertainty surrounding the club's future is considered to be a major deterrent in the NSW Origin playmaker committing to the club. But Sharks general manager of football Steve Noyce said the situation could be the making of Carney should he re-sign long term. "From adversity, some people take a step forward, others stay in the same spot and maybe others retreat a bit," Noyce told AAP. With all this happening, I think there's a good opportunity for Todd. He's at that age where he can say 'I can grow as a person, I can grow as a leader through this' and then prepare for the next few years. I think that's a good off-field opportunity for him. Noyce admitted the Sharks' best chance of securing Carney's signature rests in the attempts to sell the long-term viability of the club. The Dragons in particular are putting out all the stops to lure the 26-year-old to the Sharks' local rivals, possibly as part of a recruitment double-deal alongside good friend Josh Dugan. Carney has professed his desire to play under coach Shane Flanagan, Noyce hoping the close bond between player and coach is strong enough to keep him at the club. "Todd's made it clear to Flanno that he'd like to stay and that's always the first thing," Noyce said. If you're talking about a long-term deal, you have to look at the longer term. The club's putting things in place to say to people 'there is a situation, you can't get away from that, but beyond that - and obviously we're talking to Todd about a longer term deal, there's going to be some really exciting things for the place'.