Born: July 18, 1990 – Brisbane
Test record: 11 Tests (2011-12, 2014, 2016-17) – 5 tries (20 points)
Tours: 2011 Four Nations, 2014 Four Nations, 2016 Four Nations, 2017 World Cup

Utility back Gerard Beale played 11 Tests for New Zealand as a winger and centre, while his 13-season NRL career encompassed 204 games and stints with four clubs – including a premiership at Cronulla in 2016.

Brisbane-born to Kiwi parents and of Māori descent, Beale came through the ranks of famed rugby league nursery Souths Logan Brothers. He earned a first-grade debut in 2009 with Brisbane Broncos after cementing a place in the club’s NYC team.

Beale became an NRL regular for the Broncos in 2011, playing all 27 matches and featuring extensively at wing, centre and fullback.

The 21-year-old received a Kiwis call-up for the post-season program, debuting at centre in a 42-6 loss to Australia in Newcastle and starting in all three of New Zealand’s Four Nations fixtures. He scored two tries from the wing in a 36-0 win over Wales.

Beale, again chosen on the wing, dotted down in the Kiwis’ post-season loss to the Kangaroos in 2012 before joining St George Illawarra. He suffered a season-ending knee injury early in 2013 but bounced back with a strong 2014 campaign for the Dragons as a centre or fullback, as well as playing centre in the Anzac Test and wing in the Kiwis’ 30-12 upset of the Kangaroos in the Four Nations opener.

Linking with the Sharks in 2015, Beale came off the bench in the club’s maiden grand final triumph the following season. He also returned to the New Zealand Test line-up for Anzac Test and two Four Nations matches, crossing for two tries in the 18-all draw with Scotland.

A serious knee injury incurred in the Kiwis’ 2017 World Cup opener against Samoa – his last appearance for New Zealand – hampered the start of his move to the Warriors the following season, while further injuries and competition for spots restricted him to 32 games in three seasons for the club.

The 2017 NRL All Stars and 2019 Māori All Stars rep accepted a lifeline from the Saints in 2021 (after starting the year with Queensland Cup outfit Brisbane Tigers) and played a further 10 games in the Red V to pass the 200-game mark.

Beale played in the QRL competition for the Tigers in 2022 and Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 2023.