North Queensland Cowboys players formed a guard of honour as they joined more than 1000 people in farewelling former NRL team-mate Sam Faust in Proserpine on Monday.

About 100 of the mourners could not fit into the packed Proserpine Entertainment Centre for the funeral and listened to the service on speakers outside.

Faust last week lost a two-year battle with leukaemia at just 26. He left behind his wife Kya and young daughters Kaiulani, Meika and Lola.

Kya Faust described her husband as the "most courageous person she knew".

The Cowboys had already honoured Faust with a minute's silence before last weekend's NRL clash with the Sydney Roosters in Townsville.

Arguably their most touching tribute came when captain Johnathan Thurston pointed to Faust's name embroidered into the North Queensland jersey after scoring the match-winning try in a 20-6 victory.

Faust's name and player number 184 will feature on the jersey for the rest of the season.

Faust - who played 24 NRL matches for North Queensland from 2007-08 - was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2009.

Some of the NRL's biggest names were organising an on-line auction to raise $500,000 Faust needed to undergo leukaemia treatment in the United States when he died.

All funds went to help support his young family.

Faust made his NRL debut in round 10, 2007 and played in five straight victories as he helped the Cowboys finish just one game short of a grand final appearance.

He was previously at St George Illawarra, where he won the Jersey Flegg best-and-fairest award in 2003 and coach's award in 2004 before breaking into the club's top 25-man squad.

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