League: Webb easily able to put team before country

By PETER JESSUP


Brent Webb has no qualms about playing for his adopted country and against his country of birth in the opening test of league's Tri-Nations series.

Born and raised in Cairns and then coming to notice while playing in the Queensland Cup state competition, Webb has effectively renounced any chance of State of Origin selection by accepting an approach to wear the black and white.

He has lived here for three years, since then-coach Daniel Anderson signed him to the Warriors and his contract was recently extended for two more years.

"It feels like home," Webb said this week in the Kiwis camp.

Anderson suggested about 10 months ago that the Warriors fullback consider pledging his allegiance to the Kiwis.

"It was quite a hard decision. I spoke to my family, I spoke to some of the Kiwis. Everything was positive," Webb said.

His family backed the decision and his parents, Ayako and Doug, will be at North Harbour Stadium this afternoon to see their son make his international debut. Doug will follow the team in the rest of the Tri-Nations series in England.

"They're excited about it. And that's it really, it was my chance at international football."

He knew his chances of selection here were better.

"The Australians could pick two sides."

Kangaroos coach Wayne Bennett has already suggested his Broncos fullback Karmichael Hunt, born in Auckland and originally with the Avondale Wolves club, will make the national team. And in state selection they also have Billy Slater and Rhys Wesser, plus new Kangaroo Matt Bowen to choose from.

Webb had a fair idea who some of his Kiwis team-mates would be based on form and is looking forward to playing with the likes of Sonny Bill Williams, Tony Puletua, Nigel Vagana and Ruben Wiki.

When Webb runs out at Albany he will be one of a very few players born and raised in Australia to Australian parents to later turn out for New Zealand. Most famous is "Dally" Messenger on the 1907-1908 "All Golds" tour to England.

Herbert Henry Messenger made his name in union then switched to the new professional game to play the 1907 touring All Blacks, as the league side put together by Wellingtonian Albert Baskiville was known. In Sydney, where rugby union had shunned the new game, the name "All Golds" was coined by the Sydney Morning Herald to represent mercenary players.

Messenger played three games for New South Wales against the New Zealanders, who needed the money from their 50 per cent share of the gate to continue on to England. Baskiville was so impressed with the goal-kicking centre that he was offered a spot and accepted, joining 26 New Zealanders for an arduous tour from October 1907 to April 1908, 37 games for 21 wins, two draws and 14 losses.

In all, he played three tests for New Zealand, against England and Wales, then seven tests and 29 other games for Australia following that.

William Mackrell, who was on that tour, was born in Milton, Australia; Charles Woolley and Harry Tancred, who toured Australia with the 1921 Kiwis, were born in Adelaide and Sydney respectively; Bobby Banham was born in Sydney and toured with the 1939 Kiwis to England; Neville Tiller was born in Sydney and toured Great Britain and France with the Kiwis in 1961.

It was a one-off agreement by the members of the Rugby League International Federation to strengthen the weaker sides at the 2000 World Cup that allowed Broncos lock Tonie Carroll to switch from black and white to green and gold.

Christchurch-born Carroll had already played State of Origin and wanted to return to it after the World Cup, thus he recently rejected yet another inquiry from the NZRL. Today he will become the fourth player to represent both countries and the only one to have played for and faced the Kiwis and the Kangaroos.

The sides will compete for the Bill Kelly Cup, named for another who wore both jerseys. Kelly was a centre from Wellington who toured Australia in 1912 and 1913, playing tests each year as well as a total of 10 minor games. He also faced the touring New South Wales side in New Zealand in both 1912 and 1913 and after that was signed by the Balmain club.

Four months after his first game in Sydney he was selected for the Australian team to play the touring Lions, but afterwards was dumped following a 5-23 loss and never played international football again. But he went on to become one of the great Sydney coaches.

BRENT WEBB

Position: Fullback/hooker

Age: 23

Height: 1.75m

Weight: 80kg

Present club: Warriors

Club points: 154

Club appearances: 61

Club debut Warriors v Newcastle at Ericsson, April 1, 2002

Previous club: Cowboys

Tests: 0