And it was a persistent voice that eventually won out when Carney left Old Boys to rejoin his childhood club Bective East this season.

In his rearview mirror are the cherished memories of his time at Old Boys during their still-active golden reign.

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They include the time he kept wicket, with Josh Hazlewood at first slip, at No 1 Oval in 2019 - a game in which he also got to bat with the great fast bowler.

Now the 34-year-old is the prodigal son who has returned home: he played his junior cricket at the Bulls and made his first-grade debut there, before playing for Attunga in the Manilla comp and then for Old Boys.

Waiting for him with open arms at Bective East was Bulls life member Doug Crowell, his 90-year-old grandfather.

Crowell never let him forget where he came from.

"He was up me for all those years I played at Old Boys," Carney said, adding that "we got to yarning" and he said "I'd be nice" if his grandson played for Bective again.

"I just thought, bugger it, why not?"

In a one-day loss to South Tamworth at Riverside 1 last Saturday, Carney played his first match for Bective in 17 years. Batting at No 4, he made 25.

So how did Old Boys react to you leaving?

"I think they understood, with my grandfather and all that ... especially when he's as cricket mad as he is."

Like Hazlewood and his elder brother, Old Boys allrounder Aaron, Carney went to Oxley High. He is pretty sure he faced Josh when he was playing for the Bulls and they confronted Josh's Old Boys at Scully Park one day.

"He must have been really young, but he was sharp enough then, don't worry," Carney said.

In early 2019, Josh appeared in a one-off two-dayer for Old Boys as part of his rebound from injury. Understandably, the Bendemeer-raised star's return to his former club created tremendous buzz.

"It was just really good for Tamworth cricket," Carney said. "It brought all the kids down [to the ground].

"He was unreal with the kids: he never shirked it once about signing a bat or a photo or anything like that ... [it] couldn't have went any better, really.

"And I got to bat a few overs with him also. He's a good, level-headed fellow, Josh is."

The Bulls play Norths in an opening round Twenty20 at Riverside 1 on Saturday.

Carney was a member of the Manilla Tigers' 2019 premiership-winning reserve-grade side. He plans to play for the Tigers in 2021.