Brent Tate is putting his hand up for a belated Test recall as Australia face a major shortage of centres ahead of the upcoming Four Nations tournament.

The 28-year-old's body has been battered and broken since he debuted for Brisbane in 2001, but no amount of injuries have been able to quell Tate's hunger for representative football.

His most recent Kangaroos appearance was during the rugby league world cup in 2008 - where typically he was injured and unable to play in the final.

Suddenly, though, another opportunity has opened up for North Queensland's prized 2011 signing.

With Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges, Israel Folau, Jamie Lyon, Josh Morris and Jamal Idris out of the picture and Michael Jennings, Willie Tonga and Timana Tahu in doubt, Tate is a frontrunner to grab a spot for the Four Nations which starts on October 23.

"I've been injured myself the last couple of years so I guess it's really good just to be in the frame," said Tate, who will compete with the likes of Mark Gasnier, Matt Cooper, Joel Monaghan, Chris Lawrence and Jarrod Croker for any available centre jerseys.

"I'm really keen to play in it obviously. You always cherish playing for Australia and I thought at the back end of the year my form was starting to come good.

"There's a few injuries to a few guys which obviously helps the cause on my behalf, but I guess it's just nice to be on the other end of the scale instead of me getting injured."

With his noted neck problems, countless leg injuries and this season's broken jaw, Tate's 19-Test career is testament to what persistence and commitment can do for you.

But Tate admits there have times throughout his injury-plagued career that he thought his representative days were over.

"When you've had the injuries I've had, I think that always goes through your head," added Tate, who has also played 15 State of Origin matches for Queensland.

"It can get pretty tough at times, especially when they start doubling up on you. I was down on confidence a fair bit and it took until the end of this season to get that back."

You would think the unstable situation in North Queensland at the moment would be enough to make Tate feel anxious about his decision to sign with the Cowboys for next season.

However, Tate, who has been mentioned as a possible Cowboys captain should Johnathan Thurston be stood down, said his worries were eased after chatting with North Queensland prop Matt Scott at Kangaroos training.

"I've spoken to Matty Scott for the first time today and picked his brain a bit for the last couple of hours so I'm really confident we can turn it around and speaking to him he's really confident we can turn it around," said Tate, who is hoping Phil Gould will decide to come on board as a club consultant.

"If you want anyone rebuilding your club, I think a guy of his experience and stature in the game would be perfect and I'm sure he'll have some great ideas.

"I love that (leadership) role and I'm really looking forward to playing that role, that's one of the big reasons for me going up there."

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