Rugby League: Dreams comes true for Aussie-Kiwi Carroll

GLOUCESTER - Tonie Carroll's second rugby league dream will come true when he makes his debut for New Zealand against Lebanon at Gloucester on Monday.

Carroll's first dream was to play in the State of Origin series, which until this year ruled him out of playing for the Kiwis.

But a rule change opened the way for the Queensland centre finally to play for the land of his birth in the World Cup.

The 24-year-old Carroll has lived in Australia for 18 years and turned down offers to play for Australia so he could one day represent New Zealand.

"It's a great honour to play for New Zealand. I have always wanted to do it," Carroll said yesterday. "My dad is Maori and my mum's a Kiwi - both from Christchurch, but I have lived [in Australia] since I was six.

"New Zealand asked me in 1996, but because my dream was to play State of Origin I declined, because if I played for the Kiwis I couldn't play for Queensland.

"But they made the rule this time that I could still play State of Origin and turn out for New Zealand in the World Cup, so I was happy."

Carroll said New Zealand's biggest worry for the cup opener was their mental attitude, with many players not having played for three months, and Quentin Pongia and skipper Richie Barnett not having played a game in the past six months.

The Kiwis want a hard game out of the cobbled-together Australian-Lebanese to bring them up to match fitness for the knockout games following pool play.

"I'll probably get nervous going into my first match. This is something I always wanted to do," Carroll said. "I declined the offers to play for Australia because I'm not Australian, and never said I was Australian.

"The Aussies asked me this year to play for them and I had a great chance in 1998. I was selected, but I just declined."

A veteran of eight State of Origin games, Carroll will play for English club Leeds next season and has not had a game since helping the Brisbane Broncos to win the NRL grand final more than six weeks ago.

Kiwi coach Frank Endacott has named a strong side for the opening game, although Robbie Paul will be on the bench and centre Richie Blackmore is being rested until the match against the Cook Islands at Reading on Friday.

Endacott will give all the players a run in the first two games, and has named three forwards on the bench against Lebanon to give some of the starting players a second-half rest.

New Zealand: Richie Barnett (capt), Brian Jellick, Tonie Carroll, Willie Talau, Lesley Vainikolo, Henry Paul, Stacey Jones; Craig Smith, Richard Swain, Quentin Pongia, Logan Swann, Stephen Kearney, Ruben Wiki.

Reserves: Robbie Paul, Joe Vagana, Nathan Cayless, Matt Rua.

- NZPA