Shane Webcke

Hard-working Toowoomba back-rower spent a season with Brisbane Brothers in 1993 before joining the Broncos. Webcke put his career on hold in 1994 when he returned to the family farm in Leyburn following the tragic death of his father in an accident, but was encouraged by his family to return to the Broncos. Moving to prop, Webcke represented Queensland and Australia during Super League’s representative season before playing in the Telstra Cup grand final against Cronulla. Webcke gained selection in the Broncos-dominated Queensland State of Origin Team in the reunified 1998 NRL season and following the club’s grand final thrashing of C’bury, he built a platform for future Test selection in the final two matches of the Trans-Tasman series. One of nine Brisbane players who played in the Second Test against NZ in October 1998, Webcke finished a remarkable season as prop in the deciding Third Test, which Australia won 36-16. The following year Webcke stoked the Australian ‘engine room’ in the narrow 20-14 over NZ in the ANZac Test but following Brisbane’s disappointing season in the NRL premiership, he was ruled out of Australia’s Tri-series victory because of injury. In 2000 Webcke represented Australia in the 52-0 thrashing of NZ in the ANZac Test before playing in all three interstate matches in a series dominated by the Blues. In the grand final that year Webcke took on the Roosters’ pack just six weeks after breaking his arm. After representing Australia in a World Cup warm-up against Papua New Guinea, he proved to be the iron-man of rugby league when he appeared in all six matches of Australia’s successful World Cup campaign. 2001 saw Webcke in the best form of his career - playing his part in Queensland’s stunning State of Origin series win and maintaining his position as the premier prop in the game in the one-off Test against NZ in July. Webcke also proved to be a man of principle, publishing an open letter to all NRL players about their responsibilities to the game after drug allegations and misbehaviour rocked the code in April, and then declining to tour with the Kangaroos at the end of 2001. Safety concerns in light of the September 11 terrorist attacks originally led to cancellation of the tour after senior Australian Test players voiced their concerns about travelling overseas. When the ARL went ahead with a shortened tour Webcke was the only player to stand his ground, choosing to put his family ahead of football. A mainstay of the Queensland and Australian Test teams, making consecutive tours of England in 2003-04, he cemented his reputation as the best forward in the world before announcing his representative retirement. In 2006, in the final match of his career, he led by example in Brisbane’s grand final win against the Storm – finishing the game just as he had started it - a Champion. Autobiography, Warhorse (2006).