Willie Carne

Strongly built winger, originally from Roma, was called up by the Broncos from Brisbane Colts in 1989. In his first year in first grade, Carne scored an equal club record 15 tries and made his Queensland debut in the third State of Origin match. Although overlooked for the Kangaroo tour, he didn't have to wait long to earn a Test jersey. Carne was selected in the final two Tests against NZ in 1991, scoring a try in both matches. Carne's confident, elusive bursts were seen to advantage on the 1991 Australian tour of Papua New Guinea. He played in all five matches and scored a hat-trick of tries in both Tests. Injury limited him to just two Test appearances against Great Britain and Papua New Guinea in 1992 (the latter match as fullback) but he finished the year with a trio of great victories in the Winfield Cup grand final, World Cup Final and World Club Challenge. Carne played in all three Tests against NZ in 1993 and again equalled Brisbane's try-scoring record (17 tries) in the club's grand final winning season. A foot injury curtailed his 1994 season before the semi-finals and he subsequently missed the Kangaroo Tour. The next two seasons were marred by injuries suffered in high tackles and he announced his retirement from the game at the end of 1996. A planned move to RU to play for Queensland in the Super 12’s competition did not eventuate.