The role Todd Carney played in Canberra Raiders captain Jarrod Croker's glittering NRL career

And in return the Canberra Raiders captain's helped teach Carney how to be a father.

They might seem like chalk and cheese - the most controversial the clean-cut Croker's ever been in his 299-game career was sporting blonde tips in his hair as a youngster.

He hasn't even been suspended on his way to bringing up the 300-game milestone - against the New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium on Friday.

In contrast, Carney courted controversy his whole career, with his struggles with alcohol well documented.

But they've been mates since they were kids, spending hours kicking the Steeden around their native Goulburn together.

They'd get the keys to Goulburn Workers Arena and spend all night playing kicking games - neither one wanting to concede defeat before Carney would drop the younger Croker home after a pitstop at Maccas.

That friendship continued when the pair were living in Canberra - Carney in the senior side and Croker coming up through the junior ranks.

The former's final year in lime green, when the Raiders sacked him in 2008, was the year Croker was part of the Green Machine's premiership in the under-20s - he went on to make his NRL debut the following year.

But for all his problems off the field, Croker said no one could fault Carney on it and he praised his senior by five years for helping lay the foundation for a career that will go down in Canberra Raiders history.

"Todd showed me how to be professional," Croker said.

"You ask anyone who trained with Toddy and was around him in a professional environment, he was the ultimate professional when it came to training and playing.

"He enjoyed himself off the field, but he trained really hard. We were always playing kicking games and goal kicking.

"I used to stay with him quite a bit when I moved over to Canberra and he was a mate then.

"He did help me a lot. I've never been in trouble around him so I don't know what it is, but we've always been really good mates and he showed me a lot of good things and how to be a professional at a young age.

"I can't thank him enough. We've become best of mates."

Carney got goosebumps just talking about his mate, such was the affection he had for him.

Their dads played against each back in Goulburn and the two sons ended up doing the same when Carney was at the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla.

Carney was full of praise for the way Croker battled on through his two years of injury hell - first a knee and then a shoulder threatening to draw the curtain on his glittering career.

The way he refused to give in, even when Raiders coach Ricky Stuart asked him to retire, was a testament to the character of the man.

He said Croker was a leader, on and off the field, and simply being in his presence "was a good place to be".

Now Carney's working with disengaged youth on the Gold Coast and he'll fly down on Friday for the big game.

"Just being a mate of Jarrod's - the life experience of being around Jarrod," he said.

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"Watching him as a father - he had his kids earlier than me - just seeing him around his kids is obviously special so I definitely take that away from him.

"As a kid, as a teenager growing up, Jarrod was younger than me, but it was never an easy task kicking the ball around Workers with him - he was a competitive little shit and I was competitive.

"That's why we stayed there so long - because no one wanted to go home a loser."

JARROD CROKER ROUND

Friday: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium, 6pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Sebastian Kris, 2. Albert Hopoate, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papali'i, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Corey Horsburgh. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Nick Cotric, 17. Pasami Saulo. Reserves: 18. Matt Frawley, 19. Danny Levi, 20. Ata Mariota, 21. Xavier Savage, 22. Peter Hola.

Warriors squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Ali Leiataua, 4. Adam Pompey, 5. Marcelo Montoya, 6. Luke Metcalf, 7. Shaun Johnson, 8. Addin Fonua-Blake, 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Bunty Afoa, 11. Jackson Ford, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Tohu Harris. Interchange: 14. Bayley Sironen, 15. Josh Curran, 16. Mitchell Barnett, 17. Tom Ale. Reserves: 18. Ronald Volkman, 20. Taine Tuaupiki, 21. Freddy Lussick, 22. Brayden Wiliame, 23. Zyon Maiu'u.

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