Devil inside: Late Maroons legend inspires Origin debutant after injury ordeal
Queensland Maroons debutant Beau Fermor has vowed to invoke the spirit of the late Carl Webb when he gets his first taste of State of Origin on Wednesday night.
The Gold Coast Titans star was confirmed by coach Billy Slater as on the cusp of a call-up in 2023 before he suffered a ruptured ACL on the eve of the season.
He fought through the agony to earn his place.
Fermor was born in Dalby, where Webb was raised before he became known as one of the Maroons' most feared enforcers.
Webb lost his battle with motor neurone disease in December 2023, leaving behind a legacy of his aggression on the field and the famed 'Q' shaved into the side of his hair once he took the field for Queensland.
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Asked if Webb had been a special inspiration, Fermor replied: 'Definitely'.
'You see players like Carl Webb and Andrew McCullough who have come from your town, played for your club, gone to your school and gone on to play NRL and for Queensland … it's special to be another one of those boys to play on this stage.
'I used to love the pregame intro where they'd say their name and Dalby Devils.
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