GERARD Beale will be in different colours for the local derby when the Cronulla Sharks tackle his former club the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Beale, 24, has signed for three years with the Sharks, after gaining a release from the final year of his contract a few weeks ago.
Over the past two seasons, Beale has worn the red and white in local derbies.
Now he will don the Sharks's jersey for those two big clashes.
He said he enjoyed his two seasons at the Dragons but need to comply with the salary cap gave him the chance to negotiate elsewhere.
The Sharks picked up the winger, fullback or centre, and now he is at Shark Park, training with new teammates.
There are some familiar faces though.
"Kyle Stanley is here from the Dragons with me," Beale said. "And playing in the NRL you get to know a lot of the players anyway."
The New Zealand international has lived in Sutherland Shire for a while.
"I am closer to training now," he said.
The Dragons primarily train at WIN Stadium, Wollongong, now, so he clocked up a lot of kilometres in his car.
Married to Roimata, with two children, Nixon, two, and Maxwell, five months, Beale said "life is good". He is not sure what position he will have at the Sharks.
"I started training this week as I had a break after playing in the Four Nations, I haven't worked out which position I will play with coach Shane Flanagan as yet," he said.
"But I have been training at right centre."
He has played 92 NRL games at St George Illawarra and Brisbane.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan was on the hunt for a player who could cover several positions in the back line.
He got his man.
How will Gerard Beale perform at his new club the Sharks in 2015?
