Mount Druitt boy Kurtley Beale wants to help save rugby union in western Sydney

HE was wearing the colours of a new Eastern Suburbs affiliation but with his heart still in the western suburbs, Kurtley Beale says rugby has to be revived in the region and he’s keen to help.

Kurtley Beale in his club jersey (Eastern Suburbs) at Waratahs training.

HE is now wearing the colours of Easts but with his heart still in Sydney’s west, Kurtley Beale says rugby has to be revived in the region and he’s keen to help.

The Waratahs squad wore their Shute Shield jerseys to training on Tuesday ahead of their game against the Highlanders at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, in which players will wear their club or juniors socks.

There was the usual dominance of club colours from likes Sydney Uni, Eastwood, Norths and Beale’s new club Easts, after he made the switch from bitter archrivals Randwick.

​T​he usual absence ​of a Penrith jersey, too, was all the more pointed, following the Emus being shutdown several weeks ago due to welfare concerns.

Kurtley Beale in his club jersey (Eastern Suburbs) at Waratahs training.

NSW Rugby and Sydney Rugby are talking with groups in western Sydney about building a new club for future seasons and Beale, who was born and raised in Mount Druitt, thinks rugby having a presence in the west is a must.

“We have to do something about it, don’t we?” Beale said.

“There is so much talent out there. Obviously being born and bred from the area, and growing up seeing talent being pushed to league, it is certainly something we need to tap into.

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“I know speaking to Dave Dennis and Cliffy Palu in past years, we were trying to figure out something to try and help out where ever we can, to be able to do what we can to be able to keep some of the talent, and a lot of the supporters out there, in the game.”

Dennis and Palu told the Daily Telegraph in 2015 they had plans to build a youth development facility in western Sydney to help kids and get them into rugby.

“We want to set up something out there that exposes kids to the game to start with, or if they have a small bit of fire inside them that says “hang on, I like this game”, again there is an opportunity to pursue it,” Dennis said.

Kurtley Beale is a western Sydney junior.

“​I feel like the gap at the moment is that there are a lot of fantastic kids out there who could be fantastic rugby players and play for the Wallabies — I honestly believe that — but that dream can die very quickly because they can’t see a clear pathway. That’s the biggest gap.”

Beale, who was a junior league player before going on to Joeys, said he was “definitely” still interested in helping bring Dennis’ vision into reality.

“We trained out at Penrith Park with the Wallabies last year, that was pretty cool. And no doubt there is a lot of support out there for rugby union. It is a matter of getting out there and doing it,” Beale said.

Many will point to Beale in an Easts jersey as being indicative of a problem in Sydney rugby, however, many Penrith juniors are poached by rich coastal clubs.

Kurtley Beale and Bernard Foley at the new NSW Rugby headquarters. Credit: Jamie Conroy/NSW Rugby

NSW Rugby, it is argued, must play a role and place contracted stars in western Sydney clubs to act as role models for juniors in the region. A link to an education facility would also be a tool to retain talent otherwise lured east.

Beale said the Waratahs’ club round was an important recognition of the role club rugby plays in Aussie rugby.

“It’s a great competition and a good opportunity for guys to represents their club colours on the weekend,” he said.

“Obviously grassroots is an important part of our game, especially for the growth of our game and for our guys to be able to represent their colours and be the role models for young guys to look up to, that’s a good opportunity.”

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Originally published as Mount Druitt boy Kurtley Beale wants to help save rugby union in western Sydney