The anointed one

The Captain Cook - was it ever the same? Well, I wouldn't know. Willis and I missed our bus stop, mainly due to my idiocy. On the plus side, we got to the Sydney Football Stadium nice and early, trialled some of their finest new asian takeaway cuisine, had a couple of schooners, met Dave and his brother Andy, and settled in for the footy.

For those who have been living in a (perhaps self-imposed) rugby vacuum, the NSW Waratahs were playing the NZ's Canterbury Crusaders last Friday in a final trial before the main Super 14 competition starts.



The much-awaited home debut of one Kurtley Beale created much excitement amongst the rugby supporters and scribes from across the country. He's an 18 year-old rugby 'prodigy' fresh out of St Joseph's College and has the hopes of NSW rugby supporters, and interestingly, the aboriginal community on his shoulders. Not since Cathy Freeman has a young aboriginal athlete created so much excitement from the sporting masses. I say good luck to him - let's just hope he can keep his head firmly planted on the ground.



He has certainly got some things to work on in defence, his kicking game and in some of his decision-making, but his frenetic unpredictability with the ball in hand may provide the Waratahs with that spark that will hand them a Super 14 title in 2007/08. If only we can find a decent scrummaging tight-head prop...

With all of this chat about Kurtley in the paper, the boys and I decided to pre-empt some sporting headlines:

• When he wins a celebrity game show: "Beale or no Beale"
• When he proves himself to be a quality player: "The real Beale" (This one was actually used the day after WE thought of it...)
• When he kicks the winning field goal in the World Cup final: "Bealey, Bealey good"
• When he is out injured for the season and the team doesn't do so well: "NSW discover their achilles Beale"
• When he goes to the children's hospital to say hi to sick cancer kids: "NSW show their touchy-Bealey side"
• When he starts seeing National Nine News weather girl Jaynie Seal: "Beale bones Seal"
• When he injures an opposing player in a tackle: "Beale makes Crusader's prop squeal"
• When he takes a continuous battering from Ritchie McCaw, but puts in a match-winning performance: "Beale - Man of Steel"
• Well into his career, amid criticisms about his style of play, one scribe goes into bat for him: "No need to reinvent the Beale"
• After a massive night out: "Beery Beale steals cab car wheel"
• When he swaps codes, to play Rugby League with Parramatta: "Waratahs Beale to become Eel"
• When the NSW Waratahs bring out a team cookbook: "Kurtley Beale - Breast of veal with candied citrus peal"
• Named Cleo bachelor of the year: "Beale got sex appeal"
• After he breaks his leg in a freak green-grocery accident: "Beale slips on banana peal"

And I think you get the point.