How Carter Ford is honouring the memory of his late father and NRL enforcer Carl Webb
Footy young gun Carter Ford is looking to follow the path of his late father Carl Webb by carving out a NRL career - and if his highlights online are any guide, the youngster is going to take some stopping.
On Saturday night, the former schoolboy standout with St Brendan's College Yeppoon will turn out for the Dolphins in the semi-finals of the under-18s Mal Meninga Cup in Redcliffe.
Ford caught the eye with footy fans last year following an unbelievable individual try against Emmaus College.
The prop beat countless defenders for fun, eventually scoring a brilliant solo four-pointer after receiving the ball 70 metres from the try-line.
Good judges believe Ford can eventually emulate his old man, who tragically lost his four-year battle with motor neurone disease in 2023.
Webb, who chalked up 15 appearances for Queensland at Origin level in addition to his 187 NRL games, was just 42.
The forward was a well-liked, funny and engaging man off the field but a feared enforcer on it, forging a stellar career with the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys before finishing at Parramatta.
Before his death, Webb revealed the heartbreaking reality of his battle with MND.
Webb was a well-liked but hard man of rugby league who battled to the end against a disease that has no cure
'I'm under no illusions about what's to come in the future,' he said at the time.
'Raising a glass or bottle throughout the day....those little arbitrary tasks are quite challenging now.
'Everything you do is just a battle. Day by day, I'm on a slow decline....but I'm not about to just roll over.
'Getting dressed in the morning is a task. I struggle to button my shirts up and pull my trousers and shorts up.'
MND is an uncommon condition which affects the brain and nerves, causing weakness that becomes worse over time.
A person can reduce the impact MND has on their daily life with treatment but there is no cure, which can shorten sufferers' life expectancy significantly.
Prior to becoming a rugby league star, Webb was also a highly promising boxer with an undefeated amateur record and was a national Golden Gloves champion.
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