Todd Carney's long-running legal stoush with NRL premiers Cronulla over his dismissal from the Sharks could reportedly be dealt with by Wednesday.
A favourable decision for Carney would clear the way for the playmaker to be placed on the NRL market in the hope of finding a club for the 2017 season, according to News Corp Australia.
It's believed St George Illawarra and Melbourne are in the mix for Carney should the NSW Supreme Court rule he was wrongly sacked by Cronulla in 2014 over his infamous 'bubbler' incident.
"He will be playing in the NRL next year,'' a source close to Carney said.
"Hopefully the path will be cleared this week.''
The 30-year-old recently returned to Australia from France where he was playing in the Super League for Catalans.
Carney and the Sharks were forced into mediation by the Supreme Court in February to resolve his claim of around $2.4 million but they failed to settle the matter by the May 27 deadline.
The gifted half won the opening round of his fight against the Sharks when the NRL appeals committee ruled Carney was wrongly dismissed by Cronulla because the club failed to follow due process before sacking him.
Under the rules, Carney was entitled to plead his case before the Cronulla board and he was not given that opportunity.
