Kurtley James Beale (born 6 January 1989) is an Australian professional rugby union representative player who has made over 90 national representative appearances in a ten-year playing career at the world-class level. He is of Aboriginal descent, has had a long Super Rugby career with the New South Wales Waratahs and has played for the Melbourne Rebels and the Wasps club in England. Beale mainly plays at full-back or centre but can play fly-half or winger. In 2011 Beale received the John Eales Medal, awarded to Australian rugby's Player of the Year. Early life Beale was born in Blacktown, New South Wales, and grew up at Mount Druitt in Western Sydney. In his early years Kurtley played junior rugby league for Western City Tigers, Mt Druitt before converting to rugby union. He attended St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill ("Joeys"), where he played in that school's first XV in all three of his senior years. Beale was selected in the NSW and Australian Schoolboys representative rugby teams between 2004 and 2006. In 2006 Beale captained both the Joey's first XV and the Australian Schoolboys side, and regularly attended training sessions with the NSW Waratahs from the age of 15. He signed with the Waratahs while still only a 16-year-old. At 17, he attended his first Wallabies training camp, on the invitation of coach John Connolly. Career Beale first played senior rugby at the Northern Suburbs club alongside then-Waratahs teammates Al Baxter and Sam Norton-Knight. With the launch of the Australian Rugby Championship in 2007, Beale became the starting flyhalf for the Rams. He played every game of the season in which the Rams went on to become minor premiers. One of the top try scorers and leaders in try-assists, he was awarded the 2007 player of the tournament award for the ARC. In June 2013, Beale was named to play for Randwick while on leave from the Melbourne Rebels following a spell in rehabilitation for alcohol related issues. He had previously played for Randwick against Gordon in 2010. New South Wales Waratahs 2007–2011 Beale played his first senior game for New South Wales against the ACT in January 2007 for a trial game in Wollongong. After coming on from the bench, he scored the first of his many memorable tries by chipping around the winger and outpacing the fullback to score. The game was won by NSW 12–0. Two weeks later,