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.
Beau Fermor will make his Queensland Maroons debut.Credit: Getty Images
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.
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.
“I know how special that made me feel when I was watching TV on Origin night.
“Dalby is a small town, and I’ve had a lot of people reach out who I haven’t spoken to for a long time.
“I don’t think Billy and the coaching staff would have put their trust in me if they didn’t think I could do a job there, so I’m confident in what I can bring.”
While Slater said on Tuesday he was not yet considering late team changes, he has done so in past encounters, which could put Fermor in the frame for a shock start after being named on the bench.
Reuben Cotter has spent much of his career in the middle of the field, and Fermor declared the ordeals he endured – having also suffered an ACL injury in 2019 before his preseason incident two years ago – had battle-hardened him to take on the job for 80 minutes if required.
“It’s made me into the man I am today,” Fermor said.
“It’s a long injury, a tough injury to come back from, and when you’re sitting in a rehab room by yourself or riding a bike in the corner of a room you start to question whether you’ll be able to get back to the footy you could play before, or do the things you were able to do.
“I think the main thing is getting the confidence back in your body knowing your body can do the job. It doesn’t happen overnight, but I’m lucky now that I got through a full season last year and haven’t missed a game this year.
“I’ve got that confidence back in my body now, and it’s starting to translate to confidence back out on the field.”
