Kurtley Beale, the forgotten man of Australian rugby
Roar Guru
By LeftArmSpinner, 3 Nov 2008 LeftArmSpinner is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Deans, Giteau, Kurtley Beale, Rugby Union, Tahs, wallabies, Waratahs
At 19 years of age, having survived being thrown into the Super 14 without a backs coach in 2007 and in his first full year of Super 14 rugby, he steered a dysfunctional Waratahs team to the Final of the tournament.
To do this he had to overcome the Waratahs coaching and off-field management issues, a turnstile of half-backs and a very inexperienced backline (Burgess, Horne, Turner, Carter and Tahu).
Kurtley Beale has the greatest potential of any current provincial player in the world.
He has all the skills: footspeed, evasiveness, instinct, an excellent pass. He kicks goals and has inner toughness. His potential is leveraged by the fact that he plays fly half, the most influential position on the field.
He got a very rough deal not being selected for the current Wallabies tour. But this is nothing compared to what he has already overcome in his short life.
He has shown that he is made of sterner stuff. An Aboriginal boy at a private school is a tough gig, no matter how embracing the school and the students are.
To understand this, imagine moving to a Northern Territory Aboriginal settlement for six years at the age of twelve.
I hope that Deans has not missed this shining talent, particularly when we watch the All Black’s fielding two play makers in Donald and Carter this weekend.
Consider the Waratahs combination of Burgess and Beale, feeding Giteau, Cross/Horne/O’Connor, Turner, Mitchell and Hynes.
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fredfunk said | November 3rd 2008 @ 7:10am | Report comment
China,
Kurtley will have his day(s). Seriously though, it’s a little tough to forget someone who hasn’t really arrived… I must say that he’d get a run before Cooper in my team but maybe he needs another full pre-season at home (before he’s wallaby-bound) and that’s what he’s got. I hope 2009 can be a big year for KB!
Onto forgotten men, Scott Staniforth? Anyone remember him?
LeftArmSpinner said | November 3rd 2008 @ 7:51am | Report comment
fred, I’m with you on KB. Forgotten in the sense that he should and could have been on the plane to Europe. It was not as if Cooper had been playing much rugby.
SS has been injured and didnt tour with the Force dev team recently.
But would be a great addition to the Wallabies as an experienced utilty back. Big, fast and plenty of experience. He was in the 1999 RWC squad!
sledgeross said | November 3rd 2008 @ 8:02am | Report comment
Lefty, what about the whispers that KB will be wearing no 6 for the Penrith Panthers when his next deal runs out?
Hoy said | November 3rd 2008 @ 8:25am | Report comment
Bit of loose terminology with “kicks goals” there. lol.
Homer said | November 3rd 2008 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Horne/O’Connor are smaller than the current crop of English midfielders. Could be a problem not having any size in the middle no matter how much skill they have. There is always the need for a physical presence like Mortlock or Umaga.
Hoy, you beat me by a few seconds on that call.
Rhonda said | November 3rd 2008 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Scott Staniforth did tour with the Force team but was injured on tour.
Rickety Knees said | November 3rd 2008 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Leftie – a good point. KB did himself no favours with his injuries and lack of playing time leading up to the selections. I agree with Fred about taking him on tour before Cooper. Though now doubt quarantining Cooper from NZ was probably the motivation behind his selection.
I hope that KB shows patience and sticks with the Tahs – higher honours are inevitable.
gforce said | November 3rd 2008 @ 10:34am | Report comment
I would like to see KB prove that he can defend before he takes the next step. For every one he makes , he falls off 5.
Maybe it is just an age thing playing against the big guys and he will grow into it. If he could defend like Barnes, he would be a getting there.
Unless he gets there in defence, he will not get the call up.
Nick (KIA) said | November 3rd 2008 @ 11:58am | Report comment
“Though now doubt quarantining Cooper from NZ was probably the motivation behind his selection.”
Presume you mean no doubt. In which case, might I say “Bollocks”.
Cooper is a headless chook yet, I don’t think the ABs would have even thought about targetting him. I’m not convinced he’d even get a S14 contract in NZ.
True Tah said | November 3rd 2008 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
Nick,
weren’t the Chiefs chasing Cooper?