Dale 'Rowdy' Shearer

  • Playing Career

Playing Career

Vital Statistics

Nickname(s)
Rowdy
Born
Sunday, 25th July, 1965
Current Age
58 years and 238 days
Place Of Birth
Saint George, Queensland, Australia

Awards & Accolades

Dally M Representative Player Of The Year
1987

Biography

Versatile backline player proved his value at fullback, wing and centre at Test, state and with several clubs during an eventful career. Shearer came to Manly from Sarina, near Mackay in Nth Queensland, in 1985 and after a strong start to the season made his State of Origin debut as a winger. In 1986 he played his first Test (against NZ) and toured with the Kangaroos at year’s end. On tour, Shearer scored 12 tries in 13 matches and played in two Tests against Great Britain and two against France. He also played for Widnes in 1987, the year Manly won the premiership, but despite four Test appearances during the next two years his relationship with the Sea Eagles soured. In 1989 Shearer was at the centre of legal action when he took up club secretary Doug Daley's alleged offer for any player to quit the club if they were unhappy, only to be told that the offer had been revoked. Coach Graham Lowe released him from his contract and although Shearer had a mixed year with the Broncos, he appeared in all 7 Tests that year which included a second Kangaroo Tour. Shearer’s form in Australia's 24-8 loss to NZ in Melbourne in 1991 was well below par and it at first appeared that his international career may be over. Released by Brisbane due to salary cap restrictions, Shearer signed with the G’Coast in 1992 and despite a knee injury threatening to end his career, he was one of Queensland’s best players at fullback in the State of Origin series. He was selected as a centre in the Australian Test teams against Great Britain but was ruled unfit before each of the three matches. The following year Shearer again starred for Queensland and was Australia's fullback in three Tests against NZ. An inconsistent performer at club level, G’Coast got little value from him in 1994 and he proved to be one of the modern game's most fickle 'guns for hire' when he signed on with the South Queensland Crushers for their debut season in 1995. However, Shearer showed that he was not a spent force when he scored a hat-trick of tries against P’matta in his first match after a nine-month lay-off through injury. Shearer proved his experience when selected in a nondescript Queensland side in 1995 at the height of Super League defections and was a late call-up to his State at five-eighth in 1996. After a season with Easts, Shearer was enjoying good form with his sixth club when he was sacked for disciplinary reasons by the North Queensland midway through the 1998 season.
- ALAN WHITICKER

Playing Career Statistics

All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.

To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.

Competitions

Competition   App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
NRL 180 72 73   3 437 86 89 5 47.78% List
State of Origin 26 12 9   - 66 11 15 0 42.31% List
National Panasonic Cup 6 2 3   - 14 3 3 0 50.00% List
Tour Matches Australia 32 26 1   - 106 29 3 0 90.63% List
Test Series 13 5 6   - 24 10 2 1 76.92% List
NRL Finals 6 1 1   - 6 2 4 0 33.33% List
The Ashes 5 2 -   - 16 4 1 0 80.00% List
World Cup 7 9 0   - 36 7 0 0 100.00% List
World Club Challenge 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
English Championship 11 4 11   - 38 9 2 0 81.82% List
Regal Trophy 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List
Challenge Cup 2 2 -   - 8 2 0 0 100.00% List
Tooheys Challenge Cup 4 4 7   - 30 3 1 0 75.00% List


International

Test Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1986-91, 1993 21 13 6   - 64 17 3 1 80.95% List

International Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Rest Of The World 1988 1 - -   - - 0 1 0 0.00% List

World Cup Matches - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Australia 1986, 1988-90 7 9 -   - 36 7 0 0 100.00% List


Representative

Australia - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
QLD 1984-87, 1989-93, 1995-96 27 12 9   - 66 12 15 0 44.44% List
Aus Presidents XIII 1985 1 - -   - - 1 0 0 100.00% List
Overall1984-1996 28 12 9   0 66 13 15 0 46.43% List


Club Career

NRL/NSWRL - By Year

Team Season App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Manly NSWRL 1985 22 8 -   - 32 13 9 0 59.09% List
Manly NSWRL 1986 19 10 -   1 41 10 8 1 52.63% List
Manly NSWRL 1987 20 13 -   - 52 15 4 1 75.00% List
Manly NSWRL 1988 8 5 -   - 20 4 4 0 50.00% List
Manly NSWRL 1989 17 9 5 / 8 62.50% - 46 7 9 1 41.18% List
Brisbane NSWRL 1990 18 10 46 / 83 55.42% - 132 12 5 1 66.67% List
Brisbane NSWRL 1991 9 5 2 / 6 33.33% - 24 5 4 0 55.56% List
Gold Coast NSWRL 1992 9 1 11 / 18 61.11% - 26 2 7 0 22.22% List
Gold Coast NSWRL 1993 18 1 2 / 4 50.00% 1 9 1 17 0 5.56% List
Gold Coast NSWRL 1994 6 1 4 / 4 100.00% 1 13 2 3 1 33.33% List
South Queensland ARL 1995 3 4 -   - 16 2 1 0 66.67% List
South Queensland ARL 1996 7 1 1 / 3 33.33% - 6 0 7 0 0.00% List
Sydney City ARL 1997 11 2 -   - 8 6 5 0 54.55% List
North QLD NRL 1998 13 2 2 / 2 100.00% - 12 7 6 0 53.85% List

NRL/NSWRL - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Manly 1985-89 86 45 5   1 191 49 34 3 56.98% List
Brisbane 1990-91 27 15 48 / 89 53.93% - 156 17 9 1 62.96% List
Gold Coast 1992-94 33 3 17 / 26 65.38% 2 48 5 27 1 15.15% List
South Queensland 1995-96 10 5 1 / 3 33.33% - 22 2 8 0 20.00% List
Sydney City 1997 11 2 -   - 8 6 5 0 54.55% List
North QLD 1998 13 2 2 / 2 100.00% - 12 7 6 0 53.85% List
Overall1985-1998 180 72 73   3 437 86 89 5 47.78% List

English Career - By Year

Team Season App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Widnes 1987/88 14 6 11   - 46 11 3 0 78.57% List

English Career - By Team

Team Years App T G   GK % FG Pts W L D Win %  
Widnes 1987 14 6 11   - 46 11 3 0 78.57% List

Your Say

  • Paul Carter
    05/12/2013

    In 2000 Shearer carried the Olympic Torch.He carried the Olympic Torch on Day 17 of the Torch Relay for the Sydney Olympics.

  • Bek Rabbitt
    22/04/2014

    It would be a dream come true to meet this man.
    My grandma Shirley use to tell us grandkids all the time she was related to him. She was very proud of him. Now my 3 sons all play footy, it must be in the blood :)

  • Kev
    16/07/2015

    A real comeback king! Great player

  • Costa
    26/10/2017

    Dale Shearer was one of the top 3 utility backs in the world in the late 80s. Bob Fulton made a master stroke by putting him at fullback for the 1987 season when Manly became premiers

  • Dean
    25/02/2020

    What a player! Could play anywhere. Goakicker, general kicker, passing and runner a real genius. Would have played more origins and tests if not for injury.

  • Dibble
    12/04/2020

    Super fast and could kick, place kick and kick drop goals. Super star although injuries often got in the way. Could have been a record breaker

  • Vincent Knox
    19/01/2021

    Dale Shearer the only origin player I am aware of that has started the QLD side wearing all of the back position numbers over 11 years 1985-1996. Truly versatile and very underrated.

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Contributions: Rugby League Tables, Andrew Ferguson, Alan Katzmann, Shawn Dollin, AJ Lucantonio, Paul Carter, Greg Fiveash, Steven Russo, Bill Bates, Michael Borg

Sources: NRL Rugby League Yearbook 1999, ARL Rugby League Yearbook 1996, ARL Rugby League Yearbook 1997, NRL Rugby League Yearbook 1998, NSWRL Rugby League Yearbook 1989-90, NSWRL Rugby League Yearbook 1987-88, NSWRL Rugby League Yearbook 1988-89, NSWRL Rugby League Yearbook 1990-91, NSWRL Rugby League Yearbook 1991-92, NSWRL Rugby League Yearbook 1992-93, NSWRL Rugby League Yearbook 1994, ARL Rugby League Yearbook 1995, Irvin Saxton's Record Keepers' Club, Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1988-89