Wallabies halfback Will Genia and fullback Kurtley Beale the favourites for John Eale
By Iain Payten, Christian Nicolussi The Daily Telegraph September 01, 2011 8:24AM
Will Genia will vie with Kurtley Beale to be crowned as John Eales medallist on Thursday night - but former Test skipper and halfback Nick Farr-Jones believes the Wallabies No.9 stands alone as the player Australia need to have on deck if they are to win the World Cup.
However, the Queenslander faces fierce competition to be recognised as the Wallabies' most valuable player over the past season with voting for rugby's top honour set to be tight.
After both enjoying spectacular Test seasons, Beale and Genia are the hot tips within the Wallabies' team room but 2010 winner David Pocock, Stephen Moore, Quade Cooper, James Horwill and Digby Ioane are also all expected to poll strongly for the player-voted award.
Regardless of the John Eales Medal result, Farr-Jones believes Genia will one day be mentioned in the same breath as another Wallabies Hall of Fame legend, Ken Catchpole.
"We won't know how good Genia will be for five years but I suspect we will rate him on the same level as Ken Catchpole, who is always considered our best scrum half," said Farr-Jones, referring to the Australia skipper who dominated through the 1960s.
Watch the John Eales Medal Live on Fox Sports at 8:30pm Thursday! You can also catch the Gold Carpet arrivals in foxsports.com.au's Live Stream from 6pm (EST)!
"People look at your passing game, kicking and organisation of defence - but at the end of the day, the thing that sets (a halfback) apart is your lateral vision.
"You need lateral vision to make those good judgments 90 per cent of the time. Genia has that in spades."
After steering Queensland Reds to a Super Rugby title and starring in the Tri Nations triumph, Genia has become so pivotal to the Wallabies' World Cup hopes that Farr-Jones doesn't believe a third win is possible without him.
Farr-Jones declared: "He's got the New Zealanders - both their squad and the public - pooing themselves.
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"Will Genia - along with Dan Carter - are the most valuable players leading into this World Cup. No disrespect to (Nick) Phipps and (Luke) Burgess, but if I woke up and found out that Genia had a tournament-ending injury, I'd almost give up on the Wallabies' hopes.
"He is that good and that valuable; I rate him highly and without a doubt he's the best scrum half in the world."
Farr-Jones, who hoisted the Webb Ellis Cup high after the Wallabies' 1991 triumph over England at Twickenham, rated Saturday's win over New Zealand the best he had seen in a decade.
With voting for the 2011 John Eales medal going back to last year's Spring Tour, Beale will likely poll strongly early but Genia will storm home.
"Some of the big games last year, Kurtley was outstanding - and he's carried through into this year," Moore said.
"And obviously Will as well. He's been outstanding as well."
Rugby tragic Shannon Noll is ready to rock the John Eales Medal. Noll will perform his new hit single Switch Me On in front of 2,000 Wallabies fans at Luna Park, firing up the crown before the 2011 medallist is crowned!
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/wa...-1226126996109
Kurtley Beale takes out the 2011 John Eales Medal
By ARU Media Unit
Qantas Wallabies fullback, Kurtley Beale, has been crowned the John Eales Medallist for 2011 at Rugby’s premier awards night in Sydney this evening.
In front of around 1,200 people in the Big Top at Luna Park, Beale polled 127 votes, five ahead of his nearest rival, hooker Stephen Moore, to collect the highest individual prize in Australian Rugby.
The John Eales Medal is presented to the player considered by his peers to be the most outstanding contributor over the previous 12-month period.
Votes are cast on a 3-2-1 basis by each member of a 22-man Qantas Wallabies squad after every Test played during the voting period.
The 2011 John Eales Medal was decided over 10 Tests - the five on last year's Spring Tour including the win over the All Blacks in Hong Kong, and the five played to date this season including the Wallabies successful Castrol Edge Tri Nations campaign.
Beale (127 votes) held off a fast finishing Moore (122), followed by last year’s John Eales Medallist, David Pocock (100), and new Qantas Wallabies captain, James Horwill (96).
The 22-year old Beale made his run on debut for the Qantas Wallabies at the start of the 2010 season against Fiji in Canberra and has since established himself as a regular in the fullback position.
Beale’s win is his third in two seasons at Ruby’s Night of Nights. Last year he took out the Rookie of the Year and Try of the Year Awards to cap off a successful 2009/10 season, which featured his nerves of steel penalty goal after the siren in Bloemfontein to break a 47-year drought for the Qantas Wallabies on the South African high veldt.
It also caps an amazing 12 months for the former Australian Schoolboys star who finished 2010 as one of 5 nominees for the iRB Player of the Year award after his first full season at the international level.
While Beale topped the polling with 127 votes over the course of the voting period - collecting votes in all except two games - mention should also be made of new captain James Horwill and Digby Ioane with both finishing in the top 10, at fourth and seventh respectively.
It was an impressive achievement for the pair considering they both missed the Spring Tour through injury, with Horwill managing just four Tests and Ioane five since returning this year.
The final top ten for the 2011 John Eales Medal was:
1. Kurtley Beale
127
2. Stephen Moore
122
3. David Pocock
100
4. James Horwill
96
5. Will Genia
78
6. Adam Ashley-Cooper
74
7. Digby Ioane
73
8.
Drew Mitchell
66
9. Pat McCabe
56
10. James O’Connor
55
Qantas Wallabies scrum half, Will Genia, rounded out the top five of the John Eales Medal voting and was rewarded by the fans for his performances in the Gold Jumper when named Australia’s Choice – Qantas Wallabies Player of the Year.
Genia finished ahead of his Queensland Reds team mate, Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane for the fan voted award, which completes an impressive personal trophy cabinet for the 23-year old in 2011 after also winning his second Pileki medal as Queensland’s player of the year and the 2011 Super Rugby Player of the Year award.
The scrum half was plucked from the Queensland reserves bench when first selected for the Qantas Wallabies to take part in the 2009 Tri Nations but is now widely viewed as one of, if not the best, halfback in the world.
Genia’s leadership qualities have also been recognised this year, having been chosen to lead the Queensland Reds while regular skipper Horwill was out through injury and more recently being included in the Qantas Wallabies leadership group.
Another Qantas Wallaby to cap off an impressive year was ninth placed Pat McCabe who was named Rookie of the Year after impressive performances against Samoa and the Wallabies Castrol Edge Tri Nations opponents.
McCabe made his Test debut off the bench against Italy on the Spring Tour last year and was only recently shifted to inside centre at the tail end of this year’s Super Rugby competition.
Despite his inexperience in the position in the Gold Jersey, McCabe was impressive against the most experienced midfield combinations in the history of the All Blacks and Springboks in successive weeks during the Castrol Edge Tri Nations.
McCabe also won the Rugby Union Player’s Association Rookie of the Year award last year and was selected for the Australian Sevens side but didn’t get the chance to play.
One of the fairy tale stories of 2011 also continued this evening with veteran No.8 Radike Samo awarded Try of the Year for his inspiring 60 metre effort against the All Blacks in the Castrol Edge Tri Nations decider last weekend.
Samo, who hadn’t donned the Gold Jumper in almost eight years brought the house down in his home town last weekend when he received a cut-out pass from fellow veteran Dan Vickerman and then fended aside would-be tackler Adam Thomson before winning a 50 metre sprint to the line ahead of All Blacks Corey Jane and Mils Muliaina.
The five pointer was Samo’s first Test try and was deemed by the Fox Sports commentary team to be the 2011 Try of the Year.
The 35-year old has enjoyed a stellar season with his Australian Super Rugby Franchise, the Queensland Reds and was rewarded by Robbie Deans with a spot in the Qantas Wallabies 30-man squad to tour New Zealand in September and October.
Other award winners this evening included former Wallabies captain Mark Loane, who was awarded the Joe French award in recognition of his significant contribution and service to Australian Rugby over many years.
Former Australian’s Seven’s captain, Bernard Foley, took out the Sevens Player of the Year the Shawn Mackay award for his achievements in the Gold Sevens jersey during the HSBC Sevens World Series.
Wallaroo and Queensland utility forward, Shannon Parry, was announced as the Women’s Player of the Year after being voted player of the tournament at the 2011 National Women’s Championships, which Queensland won.
Australian U20s and ACT Brumbies back rower, Michael Hooper, was named the U20s Player of the Year after a strong 2011 season, which as part of the Australian U20s leadership group saw him captain the team in their second game at the Junior World Championships and show great leadership throughout the tournament in Italy.
Steve Walsh, who is off to his fourth World Cup next week, received the Referee of the Year award for his officiating efforts in 2010/11.
Broulee/Moruya Rugby Club’s long time servant, Richard Hogg, nominated by Brumbies Rugby, was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award for his tireless commitment to both the junior and senior clubs.
The awards event also acknowledged this year's Wallaby Hall of Fame inductees Herbert "Paddy" Moran, Paul McLean and John Eales.
At the conclusion of the John Eales Medal awards ceremony the 30-man Qantas Wallabies squad charged with taking on the world in New Zealand took to the stage and were given a special farewell by the audience ahead of their official farewell at Sydney Square, Town Hall on Monday 5 September.
Previous Award Winners
JOHN EALES MEDAL
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
JOE FRENCH
2010
David Pocock
Kurtley Beale
Ron Meagher
2009
Matt Giteau
James O’Connor
Nick Farr-Jones
2008
George Smith
Peter Hynes
Br Bob Wallace
2007
Nathan Sharpe
Julian Huxley
Leo Williams AO
2006
Chris Latham
Greg Holmes
Peter Crittle AO
2005
Jeremy Paul
Drew Mitchell
Andy Conway
2004
David Lyons
Clyde Rathbone
Rod Macqueen AM
2003
Phil Waugh
Lote Tuqiri
John David Brockhoff OAM
2002
George Smith
Nathan Sharpe
George Pippos OAM
