Hopefully someone at the ARU, or the Rebels, had the foresight to sit suspended Kurtley Beale down in front of the television yesterday to watch Ben Barba’s comeback from suspension.
My gut feeling is no, and a golden chance has been missed to give the troubled Wallaby a psychological lift.
Barba and Beale are two kindred spirits. Talented; troubled.
A month ago Barba was suspended indefinitely by the Bulldogs when he ended his long-term relationship with Ainslie Currie, the mother of his two kids, and was on a drinking binge and gambling.
Last week Beale was suspended indefinitely by the ARU for punching his Rebels skipper Gareth Delve, and winger Cooper Vuna who came to Delve’s assistance.
The blow-ups followed a drinking session after the Rebels’ thumping 64-7 loss to the Sharks at Durban.
Beale, who is still nursing a broken hand, didn’t play in the record loss, so why was he there in the first place?
Matters not now. What does matter is that Beale is given the same solid support the Bulldogs have given Barba.
“We need to protect Ben Barba the person, and not Ben Barba the player,” Bulldogs boss Todd Greenberg said at the time.
“It may take six weeks, it may take six months – however long it takes to get Ben right”.
It’s taken exactly a month, and what a spectacular comeback by Ben Barba at ANZ Stadium yesterday.
There was a regular round record crowd of 51,636, evenly split between the Dogs and Rabbitoh supporters.
But they were all on the feet welcoming back the very popular Dally M medalist, and Barba responded by clapping above his head to all parts of the stadium.
It sent shivers up the spine.
Fans warm to players who beat whatever troubles them, and that’s exactly what Ben Barba did yestreday,
And for his sake, the sake of the Bulldogs, and rugby league, that Barba stays on top of it.
The Dogs are no chance of winning the premiership without him. And while he was heavily marked, Barba still managed to sneak past the first and second tackles, the kid is freakish.
And just as the full-time siren was about the sound off, Barba crossed the white line, and that big smile returned.
The perfect end to a non-perfect day with the Rabbitohs running out 17-12 winners in a game full of interest, even outside Barba.
The reasons why the Rabbitohs won – giant full-back Greg Inglis is one of the game’s all-time greats, Sam Burgess is a powerhouse up front, and how half Adam Reynolds, and winger Nathan Merritt, haven’t won NSW Origin honours defies description.
But the afternoon was all about Ben Barba, and his successful comeback. All credit to him, and the Dogs’ management.
Whether we can say the same about Kurtley Beale sooner than later, remains to be seen.
If I was Beale, I would be heading for Belmore and a long chat with his kindred spirit.
Malo
Guest
Why not get out of their system and go nuts for a week in vegas and then pledge to concentrate on their chosen professions
Silver_Sovereign
Guest
maybe he could learn from barba to actually get in shape, kurtleys turning into Arthur beetson
Chivas
Guest
Really Mango Jack. If that is how you see David phrased it then we are clearly reading two completely seperate articles. If you see the language used by David as a mere suggestion and this is a common method of conversation I would have to ask do you see many punch ups? Maybe we differ in the way we put a proposal or a suggestion forward. The method David applies is both aggressive and arrogant. If you don't see that. Then that is ok too.
David Lord
Expert
Jake, Adam Reynolds was in my frame last year, as a rookie. He's all class, as is Nathan Merritt who has been all class for four years, yet consistently ignored.
Mango Jack
Guest
Exactly, Les. Where are the Rebels/ARU equivalents here?
Mango Jack
Guest
What is David talking about of which he has no idea, Chivas? He has simply re-stated well established facts, i.e., that both Beale and Barba have personal issues that affect their work as pro footballers, and that Barba, with the admirable help of his club, has come a long way in overcoming them. He then suggests that Beale should be receive the same support, and that maybe he could benefit from an informal talk with Barba. Can't see much wrong with that.
Jake
Guest
"how half Adam Reynolds, and winger Nathan Merritt, haven’t won NSW Origin honours defies description." NSW team obviously hasn't been selected yet, and Reynolds was never in the frame last year in what was his first year in the NRL. Odd comment.
Les B
Guest
David the big difference is that Ben Barba has Todd Greenberg and Dessie Hasler as mentors.
dubblebubble
Guest
Classic Brendo.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Ben is only starting down the road. I'm sure if he overcomes all his problems, he would be the ideal candidate for that, but at the moment he would still be sorting his own stuff out, and really is in no position to be the guy that would get through to Beale cause even Ben doesn't know if it's the right way forward yet, and what other obstacles he may have to overcome to get where he wants to be, or even if he has worked that much out yet.
Chivas
Guest
And for the record I haven't commented on the details because like others I think David is talking about something he has no idea about. The reason is once again, without making a whole lot of assumptions or as David has done ignore the details of each individuals problems... Any suggestion is about how to solve it... Well castles of sand.
Chivas
Guest
To your last statement.... Don't use inflammatory language if you don't want inflammatory responses... Pretty simple. Seems like everyone wants to tell everyone else what they should do. So don't act quite so surprised.
David Lord
Expert
Mark, you are getting way ahead of yourself. The big hope is that Kurtley sorts himself out through whatever process, and he's back in a gold jersey sooner than later. The big double hope is that both Kurtley and Ben overcome whatever problems they have and lead a full and productive life doing what they do best, entertaining rugby and rugby league supporters.
Mark
Guest
The NRL needs to have a good hard look at itself when it comes to off field behaviour. Offering Beale a contract if he were to leave Rugby is a poor reflection on the way people think within the sport. Too much gets swept under the carpet. Companies and the general public pay way to much money for rubbish to infiltrate the sport. It's unacceptable. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
Shrek
Guest
I agree David. My view is its a matter of trust - one of the most valuable ways for someone to build confidence and trust in themselves is to be able to relate their experiences in a positive and contructive manner to others who may benefit from hearing them. Nothing in life is without risk as some other comments have (rudely, in my view) suggested, but looking on the positive side, I think it could be constructive for Ben to underline his progress by describing it to another player and i could be valuable and constructive for KB to hear and potentially use that commentary to acknowledge that some of his behaviours aren't ideal and that there could be a pathway to change.
Turnover
Roar Guru
Darwin, I don't think David was suggesting that KB and Barba jump a flight to Vegas together and catch up on bender stories.. Surely after everything Barba has been through in the last month, he might have some words of advice for KB, even if it was as simple as "accept you have a problem, involve yourself with your trusted support group, get well and then play footy". Everyone on the Roar needs to chill out when responding to David Lord. Day after day everyone seems to rip in.
David Lord
Expert
No argument DOW of your end result, but my suggestion was for Beale to get the drum from Barba of what he's done, and how he's found the process. It's up to Beale what he does, and how he does it, but a private talk between the two would take the unknown out of the equation for Beale.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
I suppose I also want to add, although the end result may be similar, drinking too much, become a problem for there respective clubs, the reasons why they have got into this situation are different. I suppose the only benefit would be that it would be like a AA meeting where you spill the beans, but any professional counselling would provide the same service.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
I don't know if there was going to be so much gained from speaking to Barba at this point, cause he is still going through the process. The only advise he could give is to get started on a program similar to the one he is on. Beale needs to take that first step, and the ARU/Rebels need to provide that support for him during this period similar to what the Bulldogs have done. Get him away from all distractions including the club for a while so he can work out where he is, where he wants to be, and how to achieve that.
David Lord
Expert
None.