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Kurtley Beale should never have gone to the Melbourne Rebels. Nothing whatsoever against the Rebels, they are a well managed and well operated franchise – the pride of the south.
But Beale is a dyed-in-the-wool Sydneysider, and once out of his family and friends environment and comfort zone, anything can happen.
And it did.
All those private moments when he’s alone, and nothing to do, there’s always a drink to pass the time of day, or night.
The writing was on the wall from the moment Beale set foot in the southern capital.
The Waratahs and the ARU should have seen that coming, and made sure between them Beale remained a Waratah.
But it’s never too late.
As of yesterday, it looks as though Kurtley Beale has played his last game for the Rebels, and will again be a Waratah next season.
That’s the best news yet for Beale.
In the interim, he is scheduled to return off the bench for Randwick against Sydney University at the weekend after completing two to three weeks of alcohol rehabilitation.
Time will tell if that’s enough.
Most rehabs last up to six weeks, and are pretty spartan.
How spartan the two to three weeks have been, when Beale was still able to train, is the big unanswered question.
Everyone wants to see the big bloke back on the field, strutting his stuff, but only if he’s able to cope with his well-publicised problem.
He can’t afford to relapse again, letting himself and his close friends down.
What must be remembered is an alcoholic is a sick man, it’s not a weakness, it’s a genuine illness, and must be treated and understood as such.
If not treated properly, and with due care – it can be lethal. And that’s a fact.
Whether Beale can do enough between now and June 11, when Wallaby coach Robbie Deans will name his final six members of the squad to meet the Lions, is debatable.
I get the impression it wouldn’t be in Beale’s best interests to be back in the Wallaby environment – just yet.
Had the Lions tour been in a couple of months’ time, then OK. But the first Test is just three weeks away, too much is happening too quickly.
Hasten slowly would be Beale’s best bet. He’s too good a bloke, and too good a footballer, to push the envelope.
There’s still the Rugby Championship, and the end-of-year tour to go, in a far better time frame, with many productive years ahead of him.
Worth repeating, hasten slowly.