Wallabies Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau want ARU to show love to western Sydney

• Team of the Week: Round 10
• Cully: Hooper as good as it gets
• Burke: What we can learn from Canada
  
  

Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau, two Wallabies from Sydney's western suburbs, have urged the Australian Rugby Union to take on rival football codes and make a serious commitment to developing their sport in the talent-rich outer suburbs.  

At a time when there have been calls for Perth's cash-strapped Western Force Super Rugby franchise to relocate to Sydney's west, Beale, who grew up in Mount Druitt before being granted a scholarship at the prestigious St Joseph's College at Hunters Hill, believes the sport's governing body must do more to woo a region that's renowned for consistently producing world-class athletes. 

Proud: Kurtley Beale says there is a huge talent pool to tap into in western Sydney. Photo: Cameron Spencer

Beale suggested it was time for a 10-year plan.

"There's enormous talent out there, a huge pool, and rugby can tap into it," said Beale at the launch of the new Wallabies jumper during the week.

"It's a matter of having the funds, going out there and doing it. We can say a lot of things but you have to put your words into action and while there's been some improvements to expose [the western suburbs] to rugby it's still a league-dominated area, the Western Sydney Wanderers are stepping up and they're gaining a huge fan base for soccer while the GWS Giants [AFL] is also out there.

"It is just a matter of getting day-to-day exposure out there, it has to be ongoing and there needs to be a 10-year-plan. Rugby is a great game, it's a worldwide game and as a player you get to travel to different countries and you're exposed to other cultures; they're opportunities that help you to better yourself as a person."

Beale, who played junior rugby league before being noticed by talent scouts, said switching to rugby allowed him to attend a "great school" and it brought other opportunities for him.

"That's when it all began, really," he said. "I was exposed to a lot of things and that allowed for me to get a better understanding of what was more important to me and my family and [in] becoming the person I am."

Pathways: Israel Folau believes rugby has a part to play in the west. Photo: Cameron Spencer

​Folau, who represented Australia in rugby league and then had a stint with the Giants in AFL, said rugby had the structures and pathways to provide youngsters in the western suburbs with opportunities that extended beyond the football field.

"Coming from out west I'm aware of the potential that's out there and I'd like to see the game grow," he said. "There are tough kids out there but when I look at [taking rugby out there] it's in a positive way; a chance to provide opportunity and a pathway for [young people] to make it and 'making it' might not [necessarily] be in sport.

"Playing rugby might allow for them to go to university and better their lives. I plan to do some work out there to not only grow the game but to help give less privileged kids an opportunity. It is a passion of mine to do that."