Coach Chris Hickey says it would have been financially irresponsible for the Waratahs to get into a big bidding war with Super Rugby rivals Melbourne Rebels for Wallabies star Kurtley Beale.
The 22-year-old Beale has signed a two-year deal with the Rebels from 2012, reportedly allowing him to earn up to $1 million a season.
Hickey said while he did not know the exact figure offered to Beale, the Waratahs had a strict policy when it came to player payments and they were happy to stick with it.
"We're about trying to build a squad here, it's not about any one individual player, it's about being financially responsible and we've got a salary cap that we need to operate in, so that's the playing field that we work on," Hickey said.
"You'd have to talk to Kurtley's management exactly about what the offer was, we're not privy to that, we just say that we need to be financially responsible."
Beale's contract is understood to be heavily boosted by third party deals and it is believed the Rebels also impressed the playmaker with their plans to assist him to expand his work as an Indigenous ambassador for the game - an area he is passionate about.
Beale was signed by the Waratahs as a schoolboy prodigy and Hickey said he was disappointed to lose a player of Beale's calibre, particularly as he had been with the club for five years and had already earned 51 caps.
Meanwhile, the Waratahs have announced their squad to take on the Blues in Auckland on Saturday night with back-up fly half Daniel Halangahu to play inside centre in place of injured Tom Carter and 19-year-old winger Tom Kingston to make his debut.
Waratahs: Lachie Turner, Tom Kingston, Ryan Cross, Daniel Halangahu, Drew Mitchell, Kurtley Beale, Luke Burgess; Ben Mowen, Pat McCutcheon, Dave Dennis, Kane Douglas, Dean Mumm (c), Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson. Res: John Ulugia, Al Baxter, Pat O'Connor, Sitaleki Timani, Chris Allcock, Brendan McKibbin, Sosene Anesi.
-AAP
First posted April 14, 2011 10:34:00
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