Sydney Roosters star Todd Carney knows his journey from league outcast to Dally M medallist and Australian representative was the NRL story of 2010.

But now he just wants people to move on and get to a new chapter in the Carney life-story, hopefully one that ends with a 2011 grand final victory.

"I think the redemption story got old in the middle of last year," Carney told AAP on Monday after beginning his second week of pre-season training.

"I'm happy just to go along as any other player, as a normal footballer.

"Obviously you can't turn back time, it's always going to come up as an issue and while ever I'm playing football it's going to.

"I've got the support staff and people here at the Roosters who can handle those things and I'm confident in myself, as I said last year, that I'm in a good frame of mind, that it's all sweet."

So if the yarn surrounding the 24-year-old five-eighth isn't his rebirth as a genuine superstar after being sacked by Canberra in 2008 following a string of alcohol-fuelled incidents, then what is it?

How does being the main man as the Roosters chase the premiership glory that eluded them last September when St George Illawarra thumped them 32-8 in the 2010 NRL grand final sound?

"Always pretty shattering when you get to that grand final and fall one short," Carney said.

"Not taking anything away from the Dragons, they were the better team on the day and they deserved it after the year they had.

"For us, for me, for the team to go one better would be great but at the moment there's 15 other teams wanting that prize too.

"Coming in from last year, the boys are leaps and bounds from where they were and there's a lot of confidence getting around ... it's looking pretty exciting and hopefully it can just get better."

After such a stellar season Carney isn't going to rest on his laurels, saying he aims to better his efforts in 2011 aided by a full season of top-grade football behind him.

"I've sat down with the coaching staff and we've got a long list of things I need to work on from last year."

Carney's coach Brian Smith feels his No.6's battle to maintain his red-hot form is a microcosm of the team's challenge as a whole after their rise from 2009 wooden-spooners to last year's runners-up.

"Toddy sort of typifies where we are as a group," Smith said.

"What he did last year was quite remarkable and so was what our team did, our whole club did, last year.

"To back it up again, that's the professionalism, in that world that we live in that's always the test.

"Doing it once is great but doing it back-to-back and continuously throughout your career that's the ultimate test for all of us not just Todd."

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