Webb trained with North Queensland's 19-man squad yesterday afternoon but a small calf tear is still plaguing the bulldozing Queensland Origin forward.

Webb missed the Cowboys' last trial against the Gold Coast in Darwin. Controversial recruit Mason made the most of his outing against the Titans with a display that helped gain a place on the bench to play the Broncos.

Brisbane officials expect a near-capacity crowd at the 52,500-seat venue to give Mason a stirring welcome but Cowboys boss Peter Parr was confident the polarising Roosters signing would impress.

''He's been very good for us around the club, he's been particularly good at training and he was very good against the Titans in Darwin a couple of weeks ago,'' Parr said. ''Hopefully that will all translate with a good performance on Friday night.''

An excited Mason is lapping up the challenge of breaking into a quality Cowboys pack that boasts Matt Scott, Luke O'Donnell and Antonio Kaufusi.

''It's good, it breeds a lot of competitiveness at training,'' Mason said. ''Everyone wants to beat each other and I think that brings the best out in forward packs.''

Meanwhile, just months after threatening to walk out on Cronulla, Test lock Paul Gallen has signed a new deal which will make him a Shark for life.

Gallen signed a two-year extension yesterday which will keep him at Cronulla until the end of 2013, by which time the firebrand forward will be 32.

The move completes a transformation in relations between Gallen and the club, after the representative star questioned his commitment when the Sharks fined him $10,000 for urinating in public last December. Gallen was also stripped of the club captaincy in 2009 and the NRL fined him $10,000 for making a racial slur towards St George Illawarra rival Mickey Paea.

Gallen felt the club had not showed the same loyalty he displayed in taking a pay cut when the Sharks were in dire financial straits.

But all that was forgotten yesterday, with Sharks chairman Damian Irvine trumpeting the contract as a sign of the club's revival.

AAP