Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Carroll made his name in Brisbane where he blossomed under the coaching of Wayne Bennett.

A punishing defender, Carroll made his first grade debut with the Broncos in 1996 and quickly became an important member of the Brisbane side.

In 1998 he made his State of Origin debut for the Maroons before finishing the season by playing in the grand final as the Broncos captured their fourth title.

Carroll had been unable to break into the Australian side and in 2000 he was given special dispensation to represent New Zealand in the World Cup.

The following season he headed to England to play with Leeds before returning to Brisbane in 2003, playing Origin that season and consolidating his Queensland spot in 2004.

That form culminated in Carroll winning a Kangaroos call-up at the end of the season for the Tri-Nations tournament.

Carroll returned to Origin football in 2005, although he and his Brisbane teammates ended the season in disappointment after a limp exit from the finals.

But they more than made up for it in 2006 as Carroll and the Broncos celebrated premiership success.

In 2007, Broncos coach Wayne Bennett pulled a surprise selection by naming Carroll at five-eighth when Darren Lockyer was unavailable due to a knee injury. It was a position he played for only 50 minutes during his entire career.

Tonie Carroll announced his retirement during the 2008 NRL season making it Carroll's last in professional rugby league.