Kurtley Beale overweight, responds to blast from Waratahs coaching staff
November 23, 2008
NEW South Wales Waratahs whiz kid Kurtley Beale has opened up about almost going off the rails during the Super 14 off-season.
Injured, frustrated and lost, Beale's weight ballooned to 101kg as he fell into bad habits.
Restricted to pedalling on an indoor bike after tearing ankle ligaments in the Super 14 final, the 19-year-old went off course with a combination of minimal training and poor diet.
Waratahs assistant coach Scott Wisemantel gave Beale a rocket, and the NSW five-eighth responded by swearing off alcohol and junk food.
"I didn't touch a ball there for about three months so it was pretty hard to come to training," Beale said.
"All I could do was sit there on the rehab bike day after day and just pedal. There's plenty of people who've done it tougher, but I just got really down.
"Then I broke my thumb doing weights at training and I really started to lose it.
"I went off track a bit. I had to try and seek some advice to get myself back into the right routine and headed in the right direction.
"For two or three months there I wasn't really focused or professional about the way I was approaching things. I was a bit lost and, to be honest, it was pretty daunting. But looking back it was a good experience.
"I've got to get back into condition. I've been eating the wrong food and I'm sure having a few beers didn't really help."
The Waratahs five-eighth is under pressure to retain his starting position from Daniel Halangahu, who hurt his ankle in the first Super 14 trial match of the year and missed the majority of the season before returning for Sydney University in club rugby.
Halangahu quickly returned to form, winning a third successive man of the match award in the Students' grand final victory.
Faced with the prospect of losing his jumper, Beale has responded.
After Wisemantel blasted Beale for being overweight, the Waratahs pivot gave him a black eye during a training drill.
NSW coach Chris Hickey praised Beale's application since returning to pre-season training. "It's been a bit of a tough six months for KB (Kurtley Beale). He injured his ankle in the Super 14 final and then just as it started to come good he broke his thumb," Hickey said.
"As a player, those things can be hard to deal with. Since we've been back into the pre-season program he's been working really hard."
Beale has managed to shed 2kg since returning to training and plans to trim down further to be at 95kg for the start of the season.
"I'm pumped now," he said.
"I'm back into my routine and my rhythm.
"I've set small goals for myself and I'm determined to put in."