Hale was graded with the
South Sydney club in 1940 and switched mid-season to join
St. George with whom he played seven seasons between 1941 and 1947. He is remembered as the second-row forward in the St George side that was defeated in the
1946 Grand Final by
Balmain. At the end of the game, Jim Hale and his ex team-mate
Herb Gilbert, Jr. were involved in a brawl when a spectator jumped onto the
Sydney Cricket Ground playing area and punched Hale. The incident almost caused a riot amongst rival players and fans and resulted in a number of arrests by police. Hale, like his father Percy (1887-1953), was an amateur heavy-weight boxer, and the brawl between him and Gilbert was a huge talking point in the Sydney press for days afterward. A brother,
Bill Hale also played for
St. George After retiring from Sydney first grade football, Hale captain coached the Boorowa Rovers Rugby League Club in 1948–1949. ==Death==