Latham: Beale 'nothing like full package'

[KenyaQuin]

Clash of the Reds and Tahs young guns Cooper and Beale
Chris Latham Clash of the Reds and Tahs young guns Cooper and Beale | The Courier-Mail
May 16, 2008 12:00am

AS good as Kurtley Beale may be for NSW with certain skills, I find it hard to rate a player when teammates are being asked to do his work in the front line of defence.

If you are going to rate someone, you've got to fulfil all the roles of your position.

With the NSW flyhalf, he is sometimes moved to the blind wing or fullback and another player brought infield to fill the defensive line where the No. 10 should be.

I raise the issue not as a slight but because one of the absorbing themes of tomorrow night's interstate clash at Suncorp Stadium will be the duel of the two young flyhalves.

It wasn't so long ago that Queensland's Quade Cooper and Beale were competing at schoolboy level. Make that just 20 months ago.

That's how young they both are. That's how talented they both are.

Accuse me of bias if you like but I believe Cooper has a far better allround game _ better in attack and taking his place in the front line of defence.

In my book, the big difference for the Reds coming into this game compared to the losing years of 2005-06-07 is confidence.

In those years the team came off a heavy loss, scratchy form or played the Waratahs in the first game of the season.

Sure, the Reds were beaten fair and square in each of them but this year there's a confidence and tryscoring momentum in our style of play.

It cuts deeply that my shoulder is in a sling after surgery to reattach my pectoral muscle and I won't be part of it on the field.

I'd say just a few things to this team.

You are uniquely the 2008 team and remember all the hard work you've put in this season to get to this night when pride in the Queensland jersey is intense.

When I came to Queensland in 1998 it was Wallaby great Tim Horan who passed on all the interstate game meant.

A Queensland-NSW match was cherished as much as a Bledisloe Cup Test by him.

It was living and breathing that rivalry, knowing the date on the calendar, making the references to the game months out and knowing the history.

I've never forgotten the message and I'm sure that tradition is something coach Phil Mooney and David Croft, who is playing like two forwards right now, have spoken of this week.

I'm sure the Waratahs will also be hungry and positive in their attitude to the game. They have to win to ensure they make the semi-finals.

[KenyaQuin]

Waratahs defends Beale's ability
16th May 2008, 14:53 WST Waratahs defends Beale's ability : thewest.com.au

NSW have leapt to the defence of playmaker Kurtley Beale following a scathing assessment by injured Queensland fullback Chris Latham ahead of Saturday night's interstate rugby grudge match.

Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie insisted he had full faith in Beale's defensive ability going into the cut-throat final round encounter where a Reds upset would knock NSW out of the Super 14 play-offs.

A pectoral muscle injury has robbed England-bound Wallabies veteran Latham of a chance of a fitting farewell at Suncorp Stadium along with six other Reds but he hasn't missed the chance to take a swing at their arch-rivals.

In his Brisbane newspaper column, Latham said he found it hard to rate talented teenager Beale due to perceived tackling deficiencies and a Waratahs' tendency to hide him on the wing or fullback in defence.

"I believe (Reds five-eighth) Quade Cooper has a far better all-round game - better in attack and taking his place in the front line of defence," he wrote in The Courier-Mail.

McKenzie hit back at Latham's comments, saying they were well and truly "out of date", and backed Beale to cut down the big Queensland ball-runners who will target him.

"We haven't defended Kurtley out of the 10 position since about round three," he said.

"There's not a game plan in the Super 14 that I know of where you don't run at 10 or 12.

"I think he's handled it well and has developed a great ability to strip the ball from ball-runners better than anyone else.

"He's not worried about it and I'm not worried about it."

But McKenzie, tipping a close result in an intense battle, is well aware of the stakes and knows it could also be his last game in charge of the third-placed Waratahs.

NSW halfback Luke Burgess has revealed the team is motivated to send their outgoing coach to French club Stade Francais on the right note.

"That's out focus this week," Burgess told Fox Sport's Inside Rugby.

While most talk has been about the Queensland farewells and the rebuilding Reds' swirling emotions, a boilover may end the Super 14 careers of key Waratahs.

Wallabies lock Dan Vickerman is expected to head to the UK while Rocky Elsom is tipped to link with Irish club Leinster.

The young Reds are desperate to farewell their battle-scarred veteran flanker David Croft on the right note, while Sam Cordingley (Grenoble), Stephen Moore (Brumbies), Clinton Schifcofske (Ulster), Rodney Blake (France) and Ed O'Donoghue (Ulster) are also departing.

As much as McKenzie defended him, it hasn't escaped the Reds attention Beale has struggled in the front line and he'll also have to contend with dangerous inside balls from Reds inside centre Berrick Barnes.

Beale's individual battle with close friend Cooper, 20, will be one of the most enticing match-ups in the local derby. The positional contests between Burgess and Ben Lucas, Vickerman and James Horwill, Phil Waugh and Croft, and Tatafu Polota-Nau and Moore will go a long way to deciding the clash.

McKenzie still hadn't finalised his starting team on Friday afternoon but denied he was playing mind games, instead allowing injuries to heal and combinations to knit.

Mystery surrounds league recruit Timana Tahu's assignment, with the Reds expecting him to be given the tough defensive job at outside centre.

Queensland, who have lost the last three interstate showdowns, suffered a late blow with winger Brando Va'aulu failing to overcome an ankle injury, pitchforking Caleb Brown into his first start in two seasons.

NSW, the competition's best turn-over forcing team, are curious to see whether the Reds played to their new expansive style under Phil Mooney in what has traditionally been a forward-oriented affair.

"I don't mind which way they go, they will probably do both," McKenzie said.

"The tactical side will be quite interesting."

AAP

[chook]

Should be a good game. Lot of young players running round and showing what they can (and can't) do. Go the Tahs!!

[Burgs]

Ouch! Nice mentoring Latho!!!

[BLR]

You know GTT is desperate when they start spamming on other supporter sites....

[chook]

You would be an asset on GTT BLR, join up and start firing us up over East!!!

[TOCC]

Ouch! Nice mentoring Latho!!!

Beale is supposed to be a professional, in fact he probably deserves a bit of a reality check, everyone in NSW seems to be talking like the kid is invincible.

[BLR]

Beale is supposed to be a professional, in fact he probably deserves a bit of a reality check, everyone in NSW seems to be talking like the kid is invincible.

I heard his only weakness is kryptonite.

[innocent quokka]

I'm sure I could cause a few headaches. The tahs just need to arrange a post-season trip to Rotto. We'll see how perfect Kurtley really is.

[TOCC]

lucky NSW werent trying to win that game through there backs, it looked like Beale choked.

[prop53]

Beale showed again in last nights game he is deff not the deal

[greenandgoldrugby]

How old is he?

Write him off when he's 27 (2016)

[James]

Write him off when he's 27 (2016)

We'll stop writing him off when they stop writing him up.

[Punkpapa]

Beale is not a Wallaby class player - his progress is going to be interesting considering that he is still young - but considering the Tahs can't work out who is going to coach them, his future is anything but stable. Cooper had his measure - mind you, JOC could have taken Beale on, if only we could match the Tah's front row.

[Burgs]

I'm tipping Aussie Robbie will be the next one to decide his future.
For mine he should go to Australia A for another season.