Patience is wearing thin for playmaker’s off-field antics.
Former Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon hit his out at Kurtley Beale saying his actions are an affront to those in the Melbourne Rebels and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).
Beale was stood down recently again for off-field issues and he has taken things a step further by announcing his is stepping away from the game indefinitely, in order to check himself into a clinic to deal with his issues.
Despite Beale seemingly starting to take control of his life, Cannon said the ARU and the Rebels cannot accept Beale back into the game until he is fully cured.
“There are only so many times a repeat offender can keep stuffing up before people stop caring. And that is a dangerous prospect for Beale, who obviously needs a support network to deal with his alcohol issues,” Cannon said.
“He needs to understand he plays a team sport, therefore he must consider others when making his decisions.
“To promise your employer that you won’t drink alcohol, and break that promise the day after returning to the field from suspension, is astonishingly poor judgment.”
Cannon said Beale has damaged not just the brand of the Rebels and that of the ARU with his antics, but also of himself.
The playmaker has been in a run of trouble extending back to a Super 15 tour, where he and teammate Cooper Vuna were suspended for fighting.
Since then Beale’s career has fallen off the rails, and Cannon said he should not get any more chances or risk never being able to turn his life around away from football.
“This must absolutely be Beale’s final chance in rugby. One more misdemeanor and he should be kicked out. I don’t care if he goes to rugby league, AFL or the ballet,” he said.
“At some point, it must come down to the values and principles we want Australian rugby players to uphold and it must come down to following the protocols of what this sport is about.
“I wouldn’t want to be playing alongside him, even if he was the best player in the world, if he continually contravened those values.”
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