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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- Deans, Giteau, Kurtley Beale, Rugby Union, Tahs, wallabies, Waratahs
November 3rd 2008 @ 12:57pm
Spiro Zavos said | November 3rd 2008 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
I believe that the fact that Quade Cooper was eligible for selection for a NZ Super 14 side was influential in him being given this tour. Kurtley Beale has been much more impressive that Cooper in their senior rugby, so far. There is the chance for Beale next Super 14 season to play consistently at first five-eighths, with Luke Burgess at half back. This was the combination that destroyed the Auckland Blues so memorably at the SFS this season.
Beale’s play, though, needs to mature. To date he has played the first-five role rather like a rugby league playmaker, trying to put something on every play. This is fine for RL as the playmaker gets the ball towards the end of a set of six after a number of hit-ups. But in RU there are, in theory, unlimited tackles.
If you watch Daniel Carter he just moves the ball on or kicks and waits – and then strikes with a break, generally after a series of phases, or with a telling pass, rather like Peter Sterling in his great days with the Eels.
Beale is prodigiously talented. This can be a bit of draw-back, for a five-eighth, as it was in the case of Carlos Spencer. It may be that full-back is the best position for him to express these prodigious talents. It is also a position where there is not much tackling in the important channel near the set piece. Beale’s tackling, like Cooper’s, is quite poor.
A backline with Beale at full-back and occasionally playing at first receiver in the opposition’s red zone, Luke Burgess at half-backs, and Berrick Barnes and Matt Giteau as the five-eights would provide all sorts of chances for strong runners in the outside backs and loose forwards to cut good sides to pieces.
2011 perhaps?
November 3rd 2008 @ 1:20pm
True Tah said | November 3rd 2008 @ 1:20pm | Report comment
So now we are picking players to stop them being picked up by the ABs instead of their actual rugby playing ability?
November 3rd 2008 @ 1:33pm
Homer said | November 3rd 2008 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
Conner could beat both Cooper and KB. If/when Giteau leaves the Force Conner will be starting or back-up 5/8 behind Daruda. He plays very much like Giteau and could be the real deal. Mind you Barnes is still very young as well and I think with Lucas at halfback that Queensland could have a backline combination to rival Lynagh, Horan, Little in a few years time (alright not that good but a very good combination). Lucas, Cooper, Barnes has three good kickers, great individual flair and all of them can take the ball to the line. With Turinui guiding them this year and pace like Ioane on the wing they could be the best backline in Australia next year.
In this environment Cooper will flourish as the weight is off his shoulders whereas KB still has a lot to prove and only an inexperienced Tahu or Carter outside him.
November 3rd 2008 @ 1:53pm
Nick (KIA) said | November 3rd 2008 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
I’m unsure about the Chiefs chasing Cooper TT. I hadn’t heard that.
My opinion is based on what Cooper’s shown so far at S14 level, and the implication that NZ might be interested in him for the ABs (which may be me incorrectly reading what the osteopathic one was meaning – maybe he was meaning for S14). I’d still maintain that they shouldn’t be interested in him – there are better options, including S Donald and James Wilson from Southland who they have actually signed for ’08.
I think there are plenty of better inside backs than him in Australasia currently, which seems to be the consensus here too. I’d rate Beale better than Cooper, but I think Barnes is the best available 10 currently playing in Aus colours. Giteau is great with ball in hand but his kicking especially and distribution (popping the ball to supporters on his shoulders excepted) is not up to being a world class 10, IMO.
November 3rd 2008 @ 2:01pm
True Tah said | November 3rd 2008 @ 2:01pm | Report comment
Nick,
I agree, I think NZ generally has better fly-halves than Cooper running around, and I feel another season in Super rugby and hopefully no injuries, Beale will get a chance to shine.
November 3rd 2008 @ 8:50pm
Andrew B said | November 3rd 2008 @ 8:50pm | Report comment
I guess I echo many of the comments here. Beale’s time will come. He is definitely a quality player. It’s a bit tough comparing his defence to Barnes, who would be one of the best tacklers in the S14. Beales strength is what he offers on attack. Deans will work out if and how Beale works in with the Wallabies plan.
November 4th 2008 @ 9:02am
LeftArmSpinner said | November 4th 2008 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Hoy, ahoy, he was the goal kicker for the finalists. I didn’t say he was Lynagh or others but he is doing a lot of things very well.
Size counts, but, Horne’s ferocity in the tackle and footspeed more than made up for his less than developed frame.
KB is no fool. He has good management, has seen both sides of the fence and his mind, aspirations and his mates are on the rugby side.
His stats for defence were short of Carter for 5/8 but as good as any of the other S14 5/8’s.
I would prefer he did less tackling rather than more. Give it to the bigger guys who wont be needed in attack and so KB can be fresh for the attack.
Cooper is good, no question, but not as good as KB and not as advanced or experienced.
Spiro, funnily enough, he came to underplay his hand at school boy level in his final year, and was a better player for it. As much as he needs to adapt, so do the Tahs backs need to adapt to playing with him, running lines and onto the ball. He has a great pass, and with Burgess inside, will have time also.
He could play fullback but his passing game would then be under-utilised.
Re Barnes, just a year ago, after injures in S14 2007, and an average ARC, he couldn’t get a start on the RWC tour until injury intervened. He has proven to be a very good player but, what could KB have done if given the same opportunity on this tour?
I think we need to make some decisions in the backs, and stick to it for an extended period. For me it is Burgess, Beale, Giteau, Cross/Mortlock, Hynes, Mitchell and AAC.
November 4th 2008 @ 9:56am
matta said | November 4th 2008 @ 9:56am | Report comment
point here… Horne and Barnes were the best two tacklers from Australia in the S14 …also two of the smallest.
November 4th 2008 @ 10:11am
ulysses said | November 4th 2008 @ 10:11am | Report comment
LAS – agree with you with one small note of caution – is he really fit? KB always looks to be carrying a bit of condition as they say. Lets hope we see him in fantastic shape for the start of 09 S14.
November 4th 2008 @ 10:17am
JohnB said | November 4th 2008 @ 10:17am | Report comment
I saw 3 of Cooper’s games this year – he does good things, and he does bad things. They seemed to about balance each other out from what I saw, which isn’t a recipe for long term success. However, I think in picking someone his age you are saying that the good things he is able to do inidcate that he’s got some real ability, let’s try to harness that while trying to cut out some of the other stuff. If you get to the point where the good is outweighing the bad consistently and by a fair margin, you’ve got a worthwhile player. If you don’t, you can say it was worth trying and let’s look elsewhere.
While I haven’t seen Beale play this year, that “some good, some bad” comment sounds like it applies to him also. But hasn’t he been injured and isn’t that he wasn’t picked? If he (or Cooper for that matter) goes well next S14 then clearly there’s an opening at 10 (and 15). But it’s not unreasonable to look for the good performance in S14 first.