Willie Carne

A genuine excitement machine, fans were on their feet for the flying Willie Carne in the 1990s.

The electrifying winger started his league journey with Roma Wattles, from where he represented Toowoomba and South West under 19s. Former Queensland forward, Tom Duggan recommended Carne to the Broncos, and he played for the club's Colts team in the Sunshine Coast League in 1989.

Carne was Man of the Match in the first clash of the 1994 series in Sydney, when he played a key role in the lead-up to Mark Coyne's 'miracle', match winning try.

We sat down in the dressing rooms, I was No.5 and Wally Lewis was No.6 and Mal Meninga was No.4 and there I was sitting between them.

Willie Carne FOG #66

Carne made his Test debut for Australia against New Zealand in 1991, and was a member of the World Cup winning side in England the following year. He played 10 Tests, and toured Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. In an era where the Broncos’ backline was stacked with talent, Carne’s broken-line runs and kick returns saw him stand out.

He played a huge role in the club's grand final wins over St George in 1992 and 1993, scoring a try in the 14-6 win over the Dragons in 1993. In 1996, he was Brisbane's leading points scorer, show casing his under-rated kicking prowess, by landing 59 goals, on top of seven tries.

That season he shared the fullback role at the club, with Robbie Ross. Carne, who had played rugby union as a boarder at Ipswich Grammar, switched to the 15-man game with the Queensland Reds in 1997, but by then his speed, and confidence had been blunted by a series of injuries.

He retired from football, aged 28. Carne pursued a successful career in real estate on the Sunshine Coast, before returning to Brisbane, to work in IT.