Cowboys’ comeback kid ready for contest
Widdop and Dragons agree to split after 2019 Beale in clear over snort vid
HIGH-FLYING Cairns rugby league products Gideon GelaMosby and Nene MacDonald will push each other to the limit as they both look to cement a starting spot in the North Queensland Cowboys' top 17.
Gela-Mosby said this preseason was “very important” to him, with the 22-year-old keen to make amends for last year’s off-field mishaps, which saw him stood down for a week by the Cowboys after being charged with repeated unlicensed driving.
“There’s a lot of spots up for grabs,” he said.
“Obviously, with Nene coming into the team, there’s a bit of competition there, but I’m just doing my best in the preseason at the moment.”
The Cowboys will have a focus on youth as they assemble a new-look backline for the 2019 NRL season, following the departure of outside backs Anthony Winterstein (retirement), Kane Linnett (released) and fullback Lachlan Coote (released).
After scoring 10 tries in 11 games for the Northern Pride in the Intrust Super Cup last season, Gela-Mosby returned to the Cowboys’ NRL side to play in the final four games of the season.
In those games, he scored three tries on the left wing while also making four line breaks and running for 115m per game.
It was his second stint at the game’s top level, after the Cairns Kangaroos junior also played four games for the Cowboys in 2017.
The return to first-grade at the back-end of last season gave him “a lot of confidence” heading into 2019, but the speedy winger wasn’t getting ahead of himself.
“I’m just focusing on preseason,” Gela-Mosby said. “I think we all are.
“(We’re) not worrying about our spots or anything, just trying to get fit.”
He said the arrival of more experienced NRL players, such as MacDonald and Queensland Maroons enforcer Josh McGuire, provided a massive boost for the club’s up-andcomers.
“It gives us younger blokes a bit more hungriness to get to a spot we want,” he said.
“I’m hungry to get back on the field and do my best and cement a spot there.”
Fellow Northern Pride flyers Javid Bowen and Enari Tuala are also in line for Cowboys call-ups this season. KURTLEY Beale has escaped sanction from Rugby Australia after he was captured laughing at a man snorting white powder from a video taken in 2016 by NRL star Corey Norman.
The Wallabies playmaker was seen with Norman and high profile publican Stu Laundy in a luxury hotel room while another man, believed to be one of Laundy’s employees, snorted the white substance off a plate.
Beale is captured laughing in the video, which was taken in 2016 and was allegedly used as part of a blackmail attempt to extort money from Norman after it leaked.
While Norman escaped penalties from the NRL, who investigated the matter three years ago, Beale’s involvement was unknown until the video re-emerged on Monday and hit the news.
Beale phoned RA chief executive Raelene Castle when the video became public to apologise, and told integrity unit officials on Monday morning that he did not partake in the use of illicit substances that day.
“Rugby Australia only became aware of the vision after it had surfaced on social media on Monday afternoon and understands that it was recorded in 2016,” Castle said.
“After becoming aware that the vision was being shared on social media, Kurtley contacted me last night to apologise for the negative attention the video had attracted and expressed regret at putting himself in a compromising position at that time.
“Kurtley acknowledges that his presence in the video and the humour he expressed at the incident at the time does not reflect the image that is expected of a professional Rugby player.”