Canberra Raiders legend Alan Tongue believes his old club can help turn Dave Taylor's NRL career and life around and he's confident there's no risk involved with bringing him into the young group.
As Fairfax Media revealed on Tuesday, Taylor will join the Raiders at pre-season training to try and win an NRL contract with the Green Machine.
But the "Coal Train" has a chequered past, pleading guilty to a charge of supplying cocaine while he was at the Gold Coast Titans for which he'll be sentenced in November.
The Raiders shot into premiership contention this season with a young list, but Tongue didn't think it was a risk introducing Taylor to the group and risk eroding the culture coach Ricky Stuart has established in Canberra.
Stuart has already had success with getting player's careers back on track.
Both Joey Leilua and Junior Paulo came to the Raiders with troubled pasts, but have been nothing but positive contributors to the Green Machine since arriving in the nation's capital.
It's an area Tongue's very familiar with – he was nominated for the ACT Australian of the Year award for his work with rehabilitation programs with disengaged youth and prisoners.
Tongue said it highlighted the "evolution" of the Raiders under Stuart, where players now saw Canberra as a destination of choice.
"I think it's a risk if you've got half a dozen blokes like that in an organisation, but I think with the club and the players that they've got at the moment and what they've built – no, I don't think it is a risk," Tongue said.
"This could be a real blessing for Dave Taylor if he knuckles down. At the end of the day everything's in his hands.
"The Raiders are providing an environment for him to get the best out of himself, but at the end of the day it's up to him to come down and embrace everything."
Tongue was unsure how Taylor would fit into the Raiders' set-up if he was successful in getting a contract.
The 123-kilogram behemoth would further bolster an already big pack – boasting the likes of Paulo and Kangaroos prop Shannon Boyd.
He'll more than cover the size lost with Paul Vaughan's departure, with the Raiders officially releasing him from the final season of his contract on Friday.
Taylor could not only replace Vaughan in the front row, but could also slot into the second row or at lock as well.
He's played eight games for Queensland and made one Test appearance for the Kangaroos.
Tongue backed him to make an impact wherever he slotted in.
"If you can get him fit and firing and playing to his potential, wow, what an addition it would be to have in the squad," he said.
"Where he fits in, I can't give you that answer. It just makes that healthy competition for spots – if he's not playing in the side he's pushing others to that level where they're making sure they hold their spot."
While the Raiders could offer one lost soul an NRL lifeline, they won't be doing it for former Canberra five-eighth Todd Carney, who French club Catalans Dragons released this week.
It's unclear whether the NRL would allow Carney to be registered with any club regardless of whether they were interested.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner was emphatic when asked about the troubled playmaker who has had problems with alcohol throughout his career.
"No definitely not. We wouldn't be interested in Todd Carney," he said.
