Time will tell if Des Hasler will have a change of heart but for now the Bulldogs coach says he has not spoken with Kurtley Beale or any other Waratahs about a possible code switch for next year.
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Hasler distanced himself from reports that he had earmarked Beale to solve the Bulldogs' fullback woes despite being spotted at a Waratahs game recently. Beale, who played rugby league as a junior, is off-contract at the end of this season.
“You can’t go to the rugby these days and enjoy a game of rugby can you?,” Hasler said. “I haven’t spoken to any Waratahs players full stop. Full stop.”
Questioned further on whether he wanted Beale, Hasler replied: “Full stop. He is a good footballer. Full stop. I have not spoken to any Waratahs players.
“I have not spoken to Kurtley Beale or Isaac Moses [Beale’s manager].”
Beale’s Waratahs teammate Israel Folau is another player who Hasler denied interest in.
“You would need five salary caps for Israel Folau," Hasler said.
While Hasler would not be drawn into Beale’s merits as a league player, Canterbury back-rower Tony Williams recalled playing against Beale when they were teens. Beale spent a brief period playing for South Sydney before committing to rugby full-time, while Williams was at Parramatta.
Williams said he had no doubt that Beale could make the transition from fullback in rugby to play at the back in league.
“He was good playing league,” Williams said. “If he makes the change, he’ll do a good job in league. His position is similar. He is a freak of a player. He has played at the highest level in rugby. He could do the job here.
“He was good [at league]. He was a small bloke but played out of his skin. The team we had at Parra, no one stood out from any other team. We had Jarryd Hayne and no one was really better than him. [Beale] went to union at a young age.
“I haven’t spoken to him. What I’ve seen in the media, he is pretty keen to come to this code. If he is willing to come over here, he’ll do a good job.
“We’ve got all we need. If we do [sign him] I’m sure he’ll do a good job here. Mitch Brown was at the back last week and he was our man of the match I think. We still have Sam Perrett to come back and he was our best until he got injured. We have a lot of depth.”
Meanwhile, Hasler paid tribute to departing captain Michael Ennis, who will link with Cronulla next year.
“Mick is at the stage where he has got family and that kind of thing,” Hasler said. “He has longevity. The main thing is he is not being lost to rugby league.”
