Kurtley Beale’s chances of playing the British and Irish Lions have greatly reduced as he begins an indefinite leave of absence from playing rugby.
After storming onto the rugby scene as a high-schooler and hitting great heights in the Wallabies jersey as recently as 2011, Beale’s professional career has come upon rocky times recently after a history of alcohol-fuelled incidents has come to a head.
Beale was stood down from the Melbourne Rebels for the upcoming match against the Blues after admitting he drank with friends after a loss to the Chiefs last Friday night.
That comes on the back of an extended removal from the team due to getting physical (physical, physical) with his teammates.
While in the short-term this is going to have an impact on both the Rebels and the Wallabies, it is a great long-term decision.
Beale is a human being first and a rugby union player second. It is clear in this case the person of Beale needs to be put ahead of the game.
It seems, without having insider knowledge, Beale has a history of alcohol abuse and possibly an addiction. This is backed up by the statement Beale has “voluntarily entered a private health facility”.
Some people will lay the blame at Beale’s feet for his actions, and that certainly is correct. But that is only half the story.
High profile sport has a long history of letting athletes simultaneously break rules without proper action taken and ignoring their own personal health.
Ben Cousins would be one of the most high profile cases of this.
Rugby may not have been careful enough in both addressing previous issues in Beale’s own life and allowed the culture of performance and fame to propel him forward without dealing with his past.
Beale is only a young man, 24 years old, who has been in the public eye since his stint at Joeys and playing for the Waratahs in 2007.
He still has a long time ahead of him in the game.
This is a chance for Beale to take control of his life – he is not absolved of blame – such that he can still have a long career in rugby to look forward to.
However it isn’t only important for that reason. He needs to set himself up for decades of prosperity after an athlete’s short career span is finished.
This line in the sand has been too long coming. Rugby must make a stand on what sort of player behaviour is acceptable.
It is also too long coming for a person who needs to sort out his own life.
Rugby has profited from Beale’s contributions to the game over the years he has been involved. Yes, he has earned great money, but the game has grown through his involvement.
Let’s hope this young man can own up to the shortcomings in his own life and the sport can also learn lessons about how to manage young men in the times we find ourselves in.
Beale has been a rugby commodity since he was good enough to be given a chance to play at Joeys.
This is the reality of life for many young boys, not just rugby players. They are given an education in return for athletic excellence. University tuition is provided with athletic excellence as pay-off. Life as a professional athlete is summarised in transactional terms.
Many rugby fans scoff at professionals who can’t keep themselves in line and hark back to old times when players were able to hold down jobs, play rugby and drink after games.
Players now have fame and fortune from a younger age. Vices such as alcohol, drugs and gambling are part of the professional sports person’s life right now. There is more money, more spare time – as the old proverb goes, “Idle hands are the devil’s tools”.
That is the world the ARU and Super Rugby teams are now partners in with the players.
There is much to be learnt and I hope a successful rehabilitation in Beale’s case returns him to the world a much better-rounded, resilient man, as well as an athlete who brings joy to sports viewers.
Billy Bob
Guest
Easy for you to say dc. We would dearly love to keep him in the mix. We don't have line and game breaking fullbacks growing on trees here. Though there are a couple ATM that may bear fruit. There is no doubt that Kurtley when compliant with his employer's standards is one of the first picked. But it may require more than alcohol counseling. Giving up drink is only one of the 12 steps in a certain famous program. There are the other. 11. Added to this are the challenges faced by indigenous Australians that middle class whiteys, including me, just don't get. Forget about career after football. There is life itself after a certain age. The survival rate of black Australians beyond 50 is massively lower than the national average. I have less aboriginal friends who have died way too young. I bet that there are more things complicating Kurtley's life than rugby and alcohol. Complications that most non-indigenous people haven't begun to recognise the existence of.
dadiggle
Guest
He is not a alcoholic. Alcoholics go to meetings. He is a drunk they go to parties
Steve
Guest
Well I personally drink a lot, every day, so I'm not on Beale's case about the morals of boozing, but the fact is his incredibly lucrative and prestigious job is on the line unless he stops drinking. And he can't. That tells me he's got a problem. The argument that a lot of guys like a drink at the weekend is a total strawman. If your job, livelihood, future fame and fortune all hang on you being able to not have that beer at the weekend, it's a totally different scenario.
Dcnz
Guest
He hasn't played a blinder for the wallabies for two years so time for the wallabies to move on
Geoff Parkes
Expert
That's a good distinction Sharon. Perhaps bad for the Wallabies chances v the Lions, and bad for him, but not in itself bad for rugby. It often takes some people to be on the wrong side of the line for the vast majority to therefore know and respect where the line is.
Sharon Grey
Guest
Not sure I agree with the headline: 'Kurtley's absence bad for rugby, good for him'. Whilst the ARU and provinces have formal duty of care responsibilities in conjunction with their employees, they also have informal duty of care issues in relation to fans, as well as to themselves and their sponsors. Reputational matters haven't been much remarked upon. For the individual involved, amongst other things there are commercial consequences in terms of attractiveness to sponsors and, frankly, any post-playing days employment opportunities. For example, Tiger Woods already wouldn't need to work another day in his life, but his off-field reputation now has altered his marketability and no matter how many tournaments he wins from now on, his sponsorship takings have been impacted by his off-field difficulties. He may excel in his professional pursuit, but his off-field tribulations aren't capable of being expunged by that. Shane Warne, Mark Waugh - ring a bell anyone? Outstanding players, but always that little thought. One's strong reputation, on and off the field, in and out of the office, is really all one has. And it's next to impossible to rehabilitate when sullied. Yes, redemption is possible, forgiveness extendable, but forgetfulness? - that's the rub with reputation. For the organisation, the reputation of one's employees can reflect well or adversely upon the organisation. If the 'reflects adversely' factor starts to outweigh other factors, organisations tend to act to limit the damage. So I don't think KB's absence is bad for rugby, though it is bad for him. And for that, I'm sorry. Self-inflicted squandered potential is a sorry sight.
A Different Cat.
Guest
Yes I heard that Beale had a beer ON A THE WEEKEND AFTER HIS GAME!!!!!!!! He should not get another chance. Kill him now. The nerve to drink a beer on the weekend after work had finished. Nobody in the world would do that. He is obviously an alcoholic. No other rugby player drinks beer, so this is fair.
cm
Guest
Spot on, Elisha. At the end of the day, only Kurtley knows if he's an alcoholic and he may well be in denial for some time to come. I know a bit about that. If he does come to believe he's an alcoholic, and he wants to beat the problem, then he has a lifetime of personal management ahead of him. But there's no reason he can't continue his footy career as a recovering alcoholic. As I say in my repost below, if his employer says he has an issue with alcohol and it's risking his employment, then he has a problem he needs to address. That said, switching to a lower-profile job where recreational drinking is not an issue may well work for many, and it may work for KB. But he's currently a professional athlete, so it's not unreasonable that his employer's expectations (regarding fitness, health, corporate image and personal behaviour) are different from those of many other bosses.
cm
Guest
I wrote this on another Roar thread on Saturday. Typically late to the discussion, there were no further comments on the thread so forgive me for reposting here. I think this is an important topic, and not just for Kurtley Beale. ... Assume KB has a “problem” with alcohol (euphemism for alcoholic, ie. he drinks compulsively). I know a bit about that, and it’s about an inability to control the urge to drink and/or an inability to appropriately moderate behaviour when drinking. You don’t have to be in the gutter to be alcoholic. Assume also that, as an aborigine, he has strong kinship and family relationships that I know nothing about as a whitey. Assume also that a recovering alcoholic benefits enormously from a non-judgemental, non-enabling, loving support network. I know a bit about that, too. If you assume all the above, given KB’s family is in Sydney, then Sydney is the best place for him to get on top of his problem. Whether or not he plays footy is irrelevant, unless the tables are turned and footy’s notorious drinking culture turns out to also be supportive and non-enabling. (I know a bit about that too – my 19yo son’s Colts dinner is advertised to run from 3pm today, while watching the 1sts, until 2am tomorrow.) In short, if KB’s employers think he has a drinking problem and it’s risking his employment, then he has a problem. I just wish my employers had been so forthright years ago. I love KB as a footy player, and my greatest fear for him is that he will repeat Andrew Walker’s miserable experiences.
Elisha Pearce
Guest
You're right about the mental illness. And right about it not being cured by a 'spot of counselling'. That very very true. People who have these illnesses often need to put strong supports in place for the rest of their lives. I hope alcoholism (whether mental or binge drinking) and mental illness among athletes is treated much more seriously than it already is. It doesn't take much for a young athlete to live a very isolated life. Especially in a sport such as rugby where class divides are still pronounced in some areas.
mania
Guest
hoy - yeah u do gotta be careful how u phrase it. i reckoned he was an alchoholic and i was screamed at. but after all the shouting and accusations of me not knowing what i was on about i finally figured out that i shoulda said "he's got a drinking problem". apparently not the same as being an alchoholic
Justin2
Guest
I agree with all that except he isnt just another 24yr old. Like it or not he has had plenty of time to get the balance right. He is paid a fortune and again, like it or not, that comes with fame and responsibility. So if he wants to get on the puss and carry on every week go right ahead and enjoy the Shute Shield. If he wants the dough then he has to pull his head in and behave in the manner and toe the line as HE agreed to do...
Justin2
Guest
Agreed ;)
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
To add to that he is a game-winning international full-back as he showed in his cameo for the Rebels and is crucial to winning the Lions series. It's in his and the Wallabies' interest to play. Beale/Ioane/Folau is dynamite as a back three.
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
I placed this post on another previous post but it is quite relevant here. I particularly like this post by Elisha and think that it is by far the best balanced post I have seen on this matter. While I have a tiny amount of sympathy for Beale, I can’t help feeling a bit sick of the “oh you poor boy” type of comments that are posted on the roar about this matter. Beale is now being responsible and taking some responsibility for his actions, albeit, with a fair amount of assistance from the ARU. I still doubt that he is an alcoholic as some suggest, I think he is just a young spoilt man behaving badly when under the influence of alcohol as a fair % of young men do from time to time. I applaud the action taken by Beale and his advisors, to sit out rugby to see if he can get his head together and I hope that he can succeed. However he is IMO, no different from a lot of young blokes who get into trouble binge drinking but because he is a high profile rugby player everyone has lots of sympathy for him whereas most young blokes doing the things that he has done would be castigated by the general public and not too much sympathy if any would be shown. Ella has the right attitude in so far as he is saying enough is enough and that Beale should be held accountable for his actions “He needs to come out and say ‘every time I do drink, there is an issue’. “He’s been blessed with the talent and part of that comes (with) responsibility to be a role model – not just for Aboriginal kids but young kids all over Australia.” I like this type of statement, I have long been an admirer of Ella and the way he conducts himself as an Australian indigenous person
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
I'm going to buck the trend here a little and say that it would be far worse for Beale the human being not to take the one chance in his life to play against the Lions than to booze on for a few more weeks. For the rest of his life he would regret not playing them-Bledisloe tests, EOYTs are two a penny but the Lions are even rarer than the RWC, and so unmissable whatever state of post-innebriation the player may be during them.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Justin out of the two remaining the first one left is certainly easier than the second (unless you replace 'everything' with 'anything').
Bobby_JJV
Guest
Why can't Beale take an indefinite break from drinking?
Shop
Guest
I can't disagree with most of this Brendon, but there will be plenty that will...
Hoy
Roar Guru
I will have to be careful how this is interpreted, but I just don't think he is an alcoholic. Or maybe that is just the perception of alcoholics as being constantly in need of a drink. Perhaps that (my) perception needs to change. My thoughts are that he is not an alcoholic that needs drink and craves it, but is just a bad drinker. And by that, I mean trouble finds him when he drinks. On a related note, at the risk of being abused here, I find it distasteful when footballers have a drink, something unsavoury happens, and they cry addiction, or depression etc. It is all too staged for me, and it trivialises what everyday people with those afflictions have to battle every day. To me, there is a difference between a battlilng a tough spot in life, and Depression. You can be depressed about your situation sure, but Depression is a mental illness. There is a difference, and a spot of counselling won't cure full blown Depression, niether will that cure Alcoholism. In saying that, I see recent figures show a very high number of professional athletes suffer Depression as opposed to normal figures, so maybe I am an idiot for doubting...