Wallaby star James O’Connor says he and his Rebels team-mates are keen to see bad boy Kurtley Beale back in action as soon as possible.
Beale has been suspended indefinitely following his latest off-the-field mishap in which he reportedly took a swing at Rebels captain Gareth Delve and Wallaby wing Cooper Vuna.
The incident took place on the team bus on the way back from a night out in Durban after the record-breaking 64-7 loss to the Sharks late last month, with Beale issuing a statement admitting that he had ‘issues’ that needed to be resolved.
But while plenty of people are writing off the hugely-talented utility back’s chances of now facing the Lions this summer, O’Connor says everyone in Melbourne wants Beale back with the squad rather than sitting on the sidelines.
"The boys want Kurtley back," said O'Connor.
"He's definitely got the support of the playing group.
"I'm a very close friend of Kurtley's and he's a great guy. He'll pull together and stick strong.
"He's got a lot of great mates in his team and we're all with him.
"He's just putting in the hard yards and trying to get fit, and trying to do all the little things to make everything right."
