JOSH ALSTON got close to Carl Webb when he covered the North Queensland Cowboys for three years. Here he reveals why the late Maroons star was much, much more than a hard-as-nails footy enforcer

I will never forget the goose chase Carl Webb led me on in 2008.

The North Queensland Cowboys enforcer had just been named to make his Australian debut in the Centenary Test against New Zealand, and my boss wanted an interview.

During that time, Webby didn't do much media. At one point he even imposed a total media ban on himself.

But I was on the road with the team when they were in Sydney to play the Rabbitohs and big Charlie promised he'd have a chat with me.

What I didn't know was that he burst into fits of laughter and told his Cowboys teammates that he would do anything to avoid me.

From Townsville to the airport, to Sydney and onto the bus, from training paddock to team hotel, he was always one step ahead of me.

Not out of malice, but because that was just part of who Webby was: a fun-loving larrikin who decided he was going to screw the local journalist.

I finally locked him up just before he was due to fly again for a sweater fitting. He swore at me jokingly and then gave me that exclusive interview.

Footy fans loved Carl Webb. Most of his opponents were afraid of him.

He was the thug who cut a 'Q' into the side of his head with clippers when he played for Queensland.

Who dropped Melbourne Storm forward Ryan Hoffman with one vicious punch in the 2005 NRL semi-final.

The crazy-eyed man who strangled Luke 'Bull' Bailey into the ground with a rag doll to assert his dominance at State of Origin.

In a game that was quickly being cleaned up, he was the kind of crazy that was becoming a dying breed – and fans loved him for it.

But there was one opponent that 'Charlie' couldn't knock out, couldn't smother and couldn't intimidate with sketchy haircuts.

Motor neurone disease is a sinister condition that robs people of their ability to walk, talk, their dignity and ultimately their lives.

No one deserves to meet their end at the hands of MND, least of all Carl Webb.

This journalist had the great pleasure of knowing him since 2005 during his years playing for the North Queensland Cowboys.

He arrived with Johnathan Thurston and suddenly the stirring boys of the NRL were in a grand final, having mauled minor premiers Parramatta 29-0 in the preliminary final.

All previous reputations were shattered. The Cowboys only sign old players past their prime, they can't win in Sydney – all those assumptions went out the window.

Webb was not allowed to play in that grand final. He lasted because he hit Hoffman right on the butt.

Although bumping is no longer allowed or tolerated, it was a turning point where Webb announced that the Cowboys would no longer be bullied.

However, behind that fierce exterior was a real heart of gold.

Another story was when the Cowboys lost to Newcastle down south and most of the players were rightly dirty.

North Queensland had coughed up a 26-point lead but responded with 24 points of their own before ultimately losing 38-24.

I decided to leave the players alone as we pulled into a local pub for a debriefing.

But Webby couldn't resist coming over to 'catch' me with a cigarette and a beer.

Then there's the time he loudly asked me for the work internet dongle so he could use it on his laptop.

Webb kept his circle small and close-knit, only allowing behind the veil those he trusted most.

Journalists were certainly not at the top of his Christmas card list and that became clear as the glory of 2005 faded into a few lean years.

Suddenly the headlines were screaming with reasons why the Cowboys were bad — and Webb was one of the targets.

Webb, a junior Golden Gloves boxing champion, was suddenly linked with fights against a host of NRL players.

He imposed a media ban and quietly trained under the watchful eye of former Australian middleweight and super welterweight champion Billy Johnstone.

Hours passed in a nondescript PCYC gym on the outskirts of Townsville.

Player after player walked away, drenched in sweat, but Webb kept hitting.

Trust was something you had to earn with Webb and at a time when he refused to talk to any media, he spoke to me, the local journalist, because he knew the words in the paper would be his own.

He was tired of being labeled a crazed bully who wanted to fight Paul Gallen, Greg Bird and a host of other NRL names he would never face in the ring.

He wanted to set the record straight that he was committed to the Cowboys and that his boxing only made him a stronger NRL player.

The year 2008 was about as bad as it could get for the Cowboys. Only the Bulldogs, who were slightly worse, spared them from a wooden spoon and Graham Murray was forced to resign as coach.

Players were dropping like flies due to injury and the pressure came high and fast.

On the team bus, on the plane to away games, Webby still had that big smile and helped raise morale among the group of players.

He was brutal, and most stories from that era would surely stay where they belonged: on that team bus.

But he was always there for his friends.

Controversy usually followed him and for a year the headlines screamed: 'Carl Webb arrested while driving under the influence'.

While no one can tolerate getting behind the wheel in that state, the only reason Webby was pulled over was because he was driving back early from his own wedding to clean the reception venue.

“In retrospect, I should have had someone else drive the car back to the shelter for the cleaning,” he said at the time.

Webb wasn't a fool and he wasn't a bully.

He was a man full of love who would do anything for his loved ones.

I was honored to have known the man and to have been able to document his time in North Queensland during that short period.

Now it's time for football fans to make his tragic death mean something by creating a legacy.

I strongly urge anyone who can to donate to the Carl Webb Foundation to provide support to other MND warriors and hopefully ultimately help find a cure.