Kurtley Beale

[Inside Shoulder]

Fuck. If I was a professional rugby player I'd hope I wasn't picked for the Wallabies. Your legend only grows on these forums if you aren't playing. I've heard some pearlers lately:

• Pocock is never cleaned out of the ruck;
• Pocock would be the best Wallabies captain;
• Mowen would be picked over McCalman and Higginbotham for certain - We lack a running impact from our 8. Mowen would ever less than both of these players;
• Mowen's leadership was never questioned - for reference TOCC I'm pretty sure it was heavily questioned after the loss to England and the Dublin incident;
• Mowen was the Wallabies first choice blindside - In fact since Elsom, Fardy is the only Wallaby to spend a full year at 6 (barring injury). Dennis got a few tests and Mowen didn't make the squad in 2012. Mowen got the start over Dennis in 2013 and his physicality was heavily questioned during the Rugby Championship after being a good performer against the Lions;
• Nathan Sharpe was one of the top 3 locks in the world;
• Stephen Larkham never made the type of errors Quade Cooper makes (I actually watched a 1999 Bledisloe Cup game and saw him make passes to nobody, fall off tackles and may have even thrown an intercept for what it's worth.

Playing would only serve to disprove these rumors and harm the players reputations.

Oh and now I just read a article title saying John Connolly believes Matt Giteau should be Wallabies captain. Can't see that working out badly at all.

Thank you for collecting all my misgivings, listing them and then topping it with a WTF? moment re Giteau: he was the proto-amigo who started the Wallabies "me generation".

 

[Slim 293]

Okay - Not a retirement - just playing in France - but I understand he came home from the Tour with virtually a mutiny being rumoured, and since when do 'New' Wallaby Captains not get their contracts renewed?

I understand that all that rumour and gossip was just that.............

A figment of Greg Growden's pie encrusted brain.

 

[Scrubber2050]

I understand that all that rumour and gossip was just that.....

A figment of Greg Growden's pie encrusted brain.

Slim,
My understanding is totally different to yours.

But what is done is done. - hope he goes well in France

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Note to site proprietors and/or moderators: next time the site traffic slows and you see those advertising revenues from google dwindling just start a new thread with the title "Kurtley Beale".

 

[Train Without a Station]

Mowen was a good captain when we needed him. He also made his test debut at 28 or 29, settling at number 8 with the 3 previous players all unavailable due to injury. This was after never becoming a regular Super Rugby player until about 25. This experience included him being let go by the Waratahs after 2 good seasons so they could sign an injury ravaged Rocky Elsom.

What at the time was a massive risk and unknown, going to the Brumbies, ended up being the greatest move of his career. But it was a matter he had no choice over and could have turned out badly as well.

He saw the writing on the wall that he likely wouldn't make it into the first choice Wallabies 23 and possibly the squad and decided with only a couple of years left in his career he would take a lucrative contract in France, likely not ever signing anything more than a middle of the pack Super Rugby contract in his career.

Anybody who begrudges him for it is a grub of a human.

 

[Braveheart81]

I think it's naive to think there wasn't a discussion between Mowen and the ARU prior to him signing overseas.

If Link thought that Mowen was likely to be his captain and a starting 6 or 8 in 2014 I think more money would have been offered to him.

 

[Scrubber2050]

I think it's naive to think there wasn't a discussion between Mowen and the ARU prior to him signing overseas.

If Link thought that Mowen was likely to be his captain and a starting 6 or 8 in 2014 I think more money would have been offered to him.

Unfortunately that is the truth in professional sports.

The ARU already had contracts with players to cover those spots, so Mowen missed out simply because he wasn't considered a stand-out option over the others.

 

[Braveheart81]

Unfortunately that is the truth in professional sports.

The ARU already had contracts with players to cover those spots, so Mowen missed out simply because he wasn't considered a stand-out option over the others.

Surely that's how things should work.

If you'd started 2014 with a blank slate, Palu and McCalman would have been the two frontrunners for the 8 jersey and certainly Fardy and possibly Higginbotham and McCalman could have been ahead of Mowen for the 6 jersey.

In an ideal world where the ARU has vast amounts more money, Mowen could have been given a couple of hundred thousand more as a guaranteed salary and he'd have probably continued playing in Australia. That isn't the situation and the ARU has to make a decision based on the players they have available in each position. It's silly to think that McKenzie wouldn't have had a say in those discussions.

 

[formerflanker]

There are so many side issues in this KB (Kurtley Beale) situation. From Rupert Guiness in yesterday's Herald "The ARU also said any irregularities on Patston's social media pages were due to the error of a third party who wrote them."
Who on earth allows a third party to write up an "irregular" work history to be potentially read by millions of professionals around the world? Sloppy, deliberate, or malicious errors?
The findings of the Integrity Unit will have to be announced before the squad for the ABs is released. I am particularly looking forward to finding out if Kurtley's outburst was prompted by one or both of these rumoured scenarios - he heard on the team grapevine (not from his coach) that he'd been dropped from the match day 23; and that Patston told him his career was over.

 

[Train Without a Station]

@formerflanker often employers will put these together.

And as previously noted, errors in Linkedin profiles are extremely common with regards to the names of companies and projects.

 

[Pfitzy]

Uh... she was a fucking admin assistant at some point not so long ago, so surely she was keeping her own profiles up to date?

We hear about the ARU cutting budget to the point where Patston was covering multiple roles, but someone was updating her LinkedIn profile for her?

What the fucking fuck?

 

[Brumby Runner]

Good god - KB (Kurtley Beale) has morphed into Ben Mowen. Ben decided to leave for France so he could spend more time with his family and at the same time earn a much better living than he was offered here. Had he remained, I have no doubt he would have added considerably to his Wallaby caps. Despite the views of some here, he was and still would be a better option at either 6 or 8 than Ben McCalman. And his captaincy credentials are sorely missed.

The pity is that KB (Kurtley Beale) doesn't possess an inkling of the character that is Ben Mowen.

 

[Train Without a Station]

She was originally an admin assistant at the Reds.

Based on my experience with much larger organizations, when she was at the ARU in a larger role, they possibly would have told her she needs a profile for public appearances and asked for her to tell her experience and details to a shitkicker who would throw it together.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Despite the views of some here, he was and still would be a better option at either 6 or 8 than Ben McCalman. And his captaincy credentials are sorely missed.

Well sure, if as a player, we wanted to somebody to provide more of what we have too much of in our team (work rate with minimal impact) and no running impact or real physicality than maybe he would be a better option.

 

[Braveheart81]

I'm pretty sure the Waratahs unpaid intern was at fault here.

 

[No4918]

Best. Thread. Ever.

 

[#1 Tah]

I'm pretty sure the Waratahs unpaid intern was at fault here.

I hear Patston is actually applying for the Waratahs CEO job too.

 

[Beefcake]

The pity is that KB (Kurtley Beale) doesn't possess an inkling of the character that is Ben Mowen.

Bit of character assassination never hurts. Although I understand your point, Mowen neither possessed any caliber of KB (Kurtley Beale) skills. I dont doubt Ben Mowen captaincy credentials but his tenure in the backrow was always temporary. His lack of physicality and still is somewhat one dimensional, maybe two in work rate and organisation for lines outs, but when selections put up Palu, Higgers, McCalman & Hooper who are all metre-eaters and quite dynamic in the loose, Mowen only chance was in the second row. I would personally not have an issue with him in the second row based on current playing stock. However, if we peek across the ditch to Retallick, Carter, Ebenzer, Matfield et al, he wouldnt be a long term option either. Overall Hooper, is the best captain, as individual player and someone who will be nurtured into this position. I suspect, if Pocock returns, combined with Hooper almost unmatched running skills in the forwards, the Smith Waugh combo MkII may return.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Bit of character assassination never hurts. Although I understand your point, Mowen neither possessed any caliber of KB (Kurtley Beale) skills. I dont doubt Ben Mowen captaincy credentials but his tenure in the backrow was always temporary. His lack of physicality and still is somewhat one dimensional, maybe two in work rate and organisation for lines outs, but when selections put up Palu, Higgers, McCalman & Hooper who are all metre-eaters and quite dynamic in the loose, Mowen only chance was in the second row. I would personally not have an issue with him in the second row based on current playing stock. However, if we peek across the ditch to Retallick, Carter, Ebenzer, Matfield et al, he wouldnt be a long term option either. Overall Hooper, is the best captain, as individual player and someone who will be nurtured into this position. I suspect, if Pocock returns, combined with Hooper almost unmatched running skills in the forwards, the Smith Waugh combo MkII may return.

Yeah, but the Smith/Waugh combo really never worked. No good having two 7s imo. The Saffas play essentially two 6s and that seems to work because every player these days is looking to pilfer at the breakdown. And also a lot of turnovers are made by counter-rucking rather than pilfering. One 7 is enough.

 

[Sully]

Note to site proprietors and/or moderators: next time the site traffic slows and you see those advertising revenues from google dwindling just start a new thread with the title "Kurtley Beale".

What is this revenue you speak of?