gUt
NRL Player
- Mar 4, 2008
- 2,460
- 328
Honestly I struggle to think of a better modern day specialist lock. I know certain players have risen to the top for one or two seasons (Ben Kennedy springs to mind) but Carroll is the one they are measured against imo. What is it about T.C. that makes him one of my all time favourite players?
His gap running? Even in his later seasons he still had some pace off the mark and of course that lovely balanced running style. Add his strength to that and it's not hard to figure out why Lockyer likes him on the end of a short ball. Remember that game against the Tigers last season where he carved them up to the right of the ruck all day? This was AFTER he lost some pace.
His consistency? Apart from periods of recurring injury, Carroll rarely if ever played a bad game. Even if he was not as involved in a match as he should have been, he would usually pop up at some point and do something amazing like smash someone.
His defense? What needs to be said here? The man is a rugby league shark, actually how's this. If you were to cross a rhinos charge with a Tiger's stealth with a shark's grace, you'd have something like the typical Tonie Carroll rib-rattler. One tackle that stands out is his massive takedown of Brent Webb a few years back. I think that one cracked ribs and it was completely legit. That's another thing I liked about his hits: rarely if ever did he come in like one of these blind-side shoulder chargers. His hits were front on and relied on technique to do the job.
Farewell Tonie Carroll. A player like you deserves to go out with a premiership. I guess you can be happy with your exit in that there were 50k loyal Carrollites at Lang Park standing and saluting you for the last time. You walked off the field defeated, but not a loser.
I just hope that the pain of this game that got away might spur Tunza to go around one more time for the sake of the club.
His gap running? Even in his later seasons he still had some pace off the mark and of course that lovely balanced running style. Add his strength to that and it's not hard to figure out why Lockyer likes him on the end of a short ball. Remember that game against the Tigers last season where he carved them up to the right of the ruck all day? This was AFTER he lost some pace.
His consistency? Apart from periods of recurring injury, Carroll rarely if ever played a bad game. Even if he was not as involved in a match as he should have been, he would usually pop up at some point and do something amazing like smash someone.
His defense? What needs to be said here? The man is a rugby league shark, actually how's this. If you were to cross a rhinos charge with a Tiger's stealth with a shark's grace, you'd have something like the typical Tonie Carroll rib-rattler. One tackle that stands out is his massive takedown of Brent Webb a few years back. I think that one cracked ribs and it was completely legit. That's another thing I liked about his hits: rarely if ever did he come in like one of these blind-side shoulder chargers. His hits were front on and relied on technique to do the job.
Farewell Tonie Carroll. A player like you deserves to go out with a premiership. I guess you can be happy with your exit in that there were 50k loyal Carrollites at Lang Park standing and saluting you for the last time. You walked off the field defeated, but not a loser.
I just hope that the pain of this game that got away might spur Tunza to go around one more time for the sake of the club.
