Dennis Carroll (born 7 November 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Sydney Swans in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL). He was the last South Melbourne player to retire for Sydney. From

Ganmain Ganmain is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Ganmain is located around north west of Wagga Wagga, and east of Narrandera. Ganmain is in the Coolamon Shire local government area and had a population at the 2016 ce ...

, a small town outside

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Carroll came from a football family. Carroll's father Laurie ( St Kilda Football Club) and uncle Tom (

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Me ...

) also played in the VFL. Carroll was recruited by the Swans in the VFL via a zoning rule, which enabled the Swans to recruit players from New South Wales. His first season was playing out of the

Lake Oval Lakeside Stadium is an Australian sports arena in the South Melbourne suburb of Albert Park. Comprising an athletics track and soccer stadium, it currently serves as the home ground and administrative base for association football club Sout ...

in Melbourne in 1981, before moving with the Swans permanently to Sydney. Carroll, a back flanker, became known as one of the finest kicks in the VFL, with the ability to dispose of the ball equally well on either foot. As an experienced campaigner and local product, Carroll was selected to captain the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League, an honour which he held for seven seasons between 1986 and 1992, during some of the club's darkest days and the brink of extinction. He represented both Victoria and New South Wales at

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

level. Carroll retired from the AFL in 1993. During his career he totalled 219 games for the Swans and was named on the Swans team of the century. The award for the most improved player at the Sydney Swans, the Dennis Carroll Award is named in his honour. The Sydney Cricket Ground has named a room the Kippax/Carroll room in honour of Dennis Carroll and cricketer

Alan Kippax Alan Falconer Kippax (25 May 1897 – 5 September 1972) was a cricketer for New South Wales (NSW) and Australia. Regarded as one of the great stylists of Australian cricket during the era between the two World Wars, Kippax overcame a late sta ...

.SCG Honours Arthur Morris,Doug Walters and Steve Waugh
14 November 2008 After retiring in 1993, Dennis spent four years as Sydney reserves coach and was later the Swans' match committee chairman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Dennis Living people 1960 births Australian rules footballers from New South Wales Sydney Swans players Albury Football Club players New South Wales Australian rules football State of Origin players Victorian State of Origin players