Born: July 4, 1982 – Auckland Test record: 7 Tests (2007, 2009) – 0 points Tours: 2007 tour of Britain and France, 2009 Four Nations
Rugged prop Jeff Lima played seven Tests for New Zealand after emerging as an engine-room cornerstone for Melbourne Storm in the late-2000s.
The De La Salle College and Mangere East Hawks product finished his secondary schooling in Sydney at Patrician Brothers’ College Blacktown, eventually breaking into the NRL with two appearances for Wests Tigers in 2004.
Lima joined the Storm and played one game in 2006, while he made a tryscoring debut for Samoa against Cook Islands. The following season would be the 25-year-old’s breakout, playing 25 games and coming off the bench in the club’s grand final victory over Manly.
A Kiwis call-up following, debuting in the ignominious 58-0 loss to the Kangaroos in Wellington, before featuring in the third-Test loss to Great Britain at Wigan and the win over France in Paris.
Lima cemented a starting front-row berth at Melbourne in 2008 – lining up in another grand final, a heavy loss to the Sea Eagles – but was forced to withdraw from the Kiwis’ World Cup squad with injury.
Returning to the New Zealand side for the 2009 Anzac Test, Lima collected another NRL winner’s ring after the Storm’s grand final win over Parramatta Eels and played post-season Tests against Tonga and, in the Four Nations, Australia and England.
Lima was caught in the fallout of the Storm’s salary cap scandal in 2010, joining Wigan at the end of the season. It proved a fruitful move: Lima won the Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match in the 2011 Challenge Cup final win.
He returned to the NRL in 2013 (as well as the Samoa side for a mid-season Test against Tonga) with South Sydney and played lock in the upset preliminary final loss to Manly but went back to Super League for a two-year stint with Catalans.
Lima’s final NRL foray with Canberra garnered just nine top-grade appearances in 2016-17, playing predominantly NSW Cup with Mounties in the latter season.