Luke Gale will officially finish his incredible career at the end of the season by announcing his retirement. After making more than 300 appearances in his career, Gale, 36, is hanging up his boots. After making his professional debut with Doncaster in 2007, he played for the Bradford Bulls, Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC, Keighley Cougars, London Broncos, and, most recently, Wakefield.
Gale joined Castleford in 2015, his career really took off. Gale was a vital member of the Tigers team that advanced to the Grand Final and won the League Leaders’ Shield under Daryl Powell. In 2017, he won the Man of Steel award and started at halfback for England in the World Cup, which saw them advance to the Final.
After moving to Leeds in 2020, he had another career high point while playing for the Rhinos: he scored the game-winning drop goal in the Challenge Cup Final and led the team to its first significant trophy. Next year, he plans to focus on coaching and will remain at Wakefield to serve as head coach of the Academy.
“The game is getting tougher and I’m getting older and it’s not getting any easier,” said Gale, who has helped Wakefield in their quest to return to Super League. “I spoke to my family and had a good chat with Daryl and this announcement has been in the pipeline for about six weeks.
“I am incredibly thrilled to continue my rugby league career as the Head Coach of Wakefield’s Academy starting in the upcoming season. “I’ve been a professional for 17 and 18 years, and during that time I’ve had the honour of playing for some beautiful clubs, some incredible guys, and I’ve made some very memorable moments. However, I think the time is right to move on to the next chapter. I still adore the game, but it no longer loves me back when it becomes more difficult to get out of bed on Monday mornings.