| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1944 (age 67–68) Eugowra, New South Wales, Australia |
|||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Second-row | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1966–1977 | St George Dragons | 198 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 183 |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| Country NSW | ||||||
| 1965–1967 | New South Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1965 | Australia | |||||
| Source: Yesterday's Hero | ||||||
Barry Beath (born in Eugowra, New South Wales) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer, a second-row forward for the St. George Dragons in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership competition. He represented for New South Wales and in the Australia national rugby league team.
Beath was first selected in 1965 for New South Wales and Australia from Country Representative honours while playing for Eugowra. In 1966 he joined St George in the final year of their 11 year premiership run. Beath had his own 11 year run with the Dragons from 1966 to 1977, with the distinction of winning a premiership in his first and last years with the club. He came on as reserve in the 1977 Grand Final win.
He represented Australia again in 1971 having played in the Dragons Grand Final loss that year to South Sydney where he scored a try.
Barry made the news in 1999 at a post-match Cronulla Leagues Club function when he stepped in to defend a young St George supporter whose jersey was defaced by Cronulla President Peter Gow wielding scissors in an ill advised practical joke which ultimately resulted in Gow's resignation as club President. Gow is the father of Australian supermodel and actress Elle Macpherson. He lost several fingers when he moved his lawn mower by picking it up when it was still running.
The term "Barry Beath" is a localised rhyming slang colloquialism meaning "teeth" that might be used by a small number of Sydneysiders who grew up in the 60s or 70s and were familiar with Rugby League.