Carl Webb: Tributes flow for former Broncos, Cowboys NRL star after battle with Motor Neurone Disease

The NRL is in mourning over the tragic death of former Kangaroos and Origin star Carl Webb. But his gym feats at Brisbane and North Queensland will never be forgotten.

Queensland legend Carl Webb has been remembered as the “ultimate top bloke” and the type of teammate everybody wanted to play alongside by long-time friend Matt Bowen.

Webb and Bowen shared the field on 102 occasions for the Cowboys and five times for Queensland in State of Origin.

Bowen said it was a sad day for Webb’s family and friends as well as the entire rugby league community.

“He was a very good mate. He was one of those guys that you loved to be around,” Bowen said.

“He loved being part of your team and you hated playing against him because he was an aggressive runner and a feared defensive player.

“Charlie was the life of the party, always making people laugh and joking and carrying on, and he’ll be missed for that.

“It’s a very sad day but there are a lot of lovely memories that we held together and not just on the playing field but off the field as well.

“He was the ultimate top bloke.”

Carl Webb alongside former Maroons teammates Matt Bowen & Johnathan Thurston. Picture: David Kapernick

Webb has been a vocal advocate for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) awareness after he announced his own diagnosis in 2020.

The devastating disease has no known cure and sufferers’ average life expectancy is just two to three years.

Bowen said he was glad he got the opportunity to catch up with his mate two months ago when he played in a star-studded charity game raising funds and awareness for MND and Huntington’s disease.

“Battling that terrible disease for the last couple of years, we had a charity game for him a couple of months back and I got to catch up with him then,” Bowen said.

“It was a wonderful cause, obviously for his foundation, and I didn’t want to miss that. I got to catch up with him and I was speaking to him a fair bit.”

The former Cowboys enforcer played 115 games for North Queensland out of his 187 NRL appearances after debuting for Brisbane in 2000 – coincidentally in a 50-8 thrashing of the Cowboys in Townsville.

Webb still holds the Cowboys’ club record for the bench press, a mighty 185kg set in 2007 that may never be beaten.

Bowen said it was a shock to see how quickly MND struck down one of the NRL’s toughest ever players.

Bowen said it was a shock to see how quickly MND struck down a player who was renowned for his strength and toughness.

“He was the strongest in the gym and I think he still holds a couple of records not just here but at the Broncs as well,” Bowen said.

“You see that guy training in the gym and then the first time I saw him when he had the disease, he couldn’t even walk up some stairs.

“It was terrible to see from a guy that fit in rugby league to what that disease did to him. It’s really hard to swallow and I think he’s going to be sadly missed.”

The Cowboys and Broncos will dedicate their two 2024 NRL clashes to Webb, with a home and away fixture scheduled giving both teams the chance to honour the hard-hitting prop.

Cowboys chief executive Jeff Reibel said Webb played a pivotal role in the transformational change of the club in the mid-2000s.

“He was a footballer’s footballer, uncompromising and one of the toughest to wear our jersey,” Reibel said.

“His unrelenting intensity in which he played the game was matched off the field by the respect and love for not just his teammates, but for everyone who came in contact with him.

“Even in recent times, when fighting this horrible disease, he found a way to put a smile on his face and those around him.

“We extend our heartfelt and deepest condolences to Carl’s family and friends.”

Bowen has remembered Webb as ‘the ultimate top bloke’.

‘PHENOMENAL, DIFFERENCE MAKER’: NRL TRIBUTES FLOOD IN FOR WEBB

—Zara Powell

Former North Queensland star Josh Hannay has led the tributes after Carl Webb’s passing.

Hannay has remembered his former Cowboys teammate, “Webby”, as a rare talent, reminiscing on their early days playing together during their run to the 2005 grand final.

Hannay recalled how Webb made an instant impact in Townsville after moving from Brisbane at the end of 2004.

“When he got to the club in 2005, Webby’s influence on us in his first year was enormous,” Hannay said on Friday.

“We played Canterbury at home, one of his first games, talk about making a statement. You don’t see front-rowers do this, we might not see a front rower do this ever again.

“He made a line break from halfway and actually ran around (Bulldogs fullback) Luke Patten, just such a dynamic try and phenomenal athleticism”.

Carl Webb made an instant impact after joining the Cowboys in 2005.

Hannay was extremely saddened after hearing of Webb’s passing, remembering him as a strong character that would never be forgotten at the Cowboys.

“I knew from his first game that he was going to be a difference maker for us as a club, which he certainly was, he was just a real presence,” Hannay said.

“When he got to the Cowboys he had that presence and aura that no one was going to stand over us. That’s certainly a fond memory for me.”

Hannay described Webb as “one of a kind”, being able to perform as a front-rower unlike few before him.

“I don’t think anyone before him could or since him will be able to be a front-rower like Webby, he was an unbelievably gifted athlete,” he said.

“His ability to move the way he did for a man his size, I’ve never seen it and may not ever see it again and I think everyone would say the same.”

Josh Hannay has remembered his former Cowboys teammate Carl Webb as a rare talent.

The Cowboys and Broncos will dedicate both of their 2024 clashes to Webb. The clubs face off on Good Friday in Brisbane, and again in a Round 23 match-up in Townsville.

The clubs will work together to honour Webb’s memory, with more details to be released in the new year.

Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel described Webb as “one of the toughest to wear our jersey”.

“Carl played a pivotal role in the transformational change at our club in the mid 2000s,” Reibel said in a statement.

“He was a footballer’s footballer, uncompromising and one of the toughest to wear our jersey.

“His unrelenting intensity in which he played the game was matched off the field by the respect and love for not just his teammates, but for everyone who came in contact with him.

The Cowboys and Broncos will dedicate both of their 2024 clashes to Carl Webb.

“Even in recent times, when fighting this horrible disease, he found a way to put a smile on his face and those around him.

“We extend our heartfelt and deepest condolences to Carl’s family and friends.”

A number of Webb’s other former teammates took to social media to acknowledge his passing, including Andrew McCullough, John Asiata and Brent Tate.

“Rest in peace big fella,” Tate wrote.

Originally published as Carl Webb: Tributes flow for former Broncos, Cowboys NRL star after battle with Motor Neurone Disease