Cronulla star Todd Carney up and running after achilles surgery

HERE'S the picture Cronulla fans have waited all summer to see.

HERE'S the picture Cronulla fans have waited all summer to see.

Nearly five months after snapping his achilles tendon in last year's finals loss to Canberra, star playmaker Todd Carney is back on his feet and running freely at Toyota Park.

The 26-year-old stepped off the club's anti-gravity treadmill and on to terra firma last week, hopeful of a return to action in Cronulla's opening-round clash against Gold Coast on March 10.

It's unlikely he'll play either trial against Manly or Newcastle, with local Sharks junior Chad Townsend expected to play five-eighth alongside regular No.7 Jeff Robson.

In the meantime, Carney will re-unite with renowned sprint coach Roger Fabri in a bid to reclaim his explosive speed.

The pair worked together at the Roosters, before doing private sessions last summer as Carney sought to resurrect his career with Cronulla. Sharks officials also hope to finalise a contract extension with the NSW Origin pivot before his comeback, with the Warriors and Dragons also showing interest.

Skipper Paul Gallen, who was instrumental in convincing Cronulla bosses to sign Carney in late 2011, said the club needed to back up its excellent recruitment with consistent retention.

The Sharks have a dozen first-graders off contract this year, including Anthony Tupou, Jayson Bukuya and Nathan Gardner.

"It's important that we keep players like Todd," Gallen said.

"That's where we've gone wrong in the past. We've periodically had really good teams and then lost a lot of players."