Keighley Cougars look set on taking the 2023 Betfred Championship by storm after completing the ambitious signing of former England half-back Luke Gale.
The former Man of Steel winner arrives at Cougar Park on a one-year contract following his departure from Betfred Super League side Hull FC.
Despite being linked with moves to a number of Super League clubs, and other Championship sides, the ambition and drive of the Cougars following their promotion to the second tier attracted Gale to sign with the club.
Gale commented: “I feel that this will be a great fit for me.
“I want to come here to Keighley and help these lads compete within the Championship and with the squad we have got, we will definitely be pushing at the right end of the table.
“Things have been a bit different for me this season as it is the first team that I have ever gone into a pre-season without a deal at a club. I made the decision to train by myself and give myself a couple months out of Rugby League after playing and training for 14 straight seasons.
“I have been training at Driven Athlete with Chris Black and as a result have bumped into Rhys Lovegrove quite often. When I’ve spoken to Chris, as I know Blacky quite well, he told me that I would really enjoy myself if I signed for Keighley.
“I’ve met and spoken with Rhys a few times now and he is one of the best young coaches within the game right now and we just clicked straight away. And that came of the back of last season which for me wasn’t a good year both personally and from a team point of view.
“But I am in a different stage of my career now and not getting any younger. I began my career at this level of the game with Doncaster and feel that I have now come full circle, and I can’t wait to see what the Championship brings this season as there isn’t one standout team and it will be a tough league.”
After starting his career with the famous Leeds Rhinos academy, it was a loan spell at Doncaster which allowed the half-back to make his name in the game.
Gale helped the Dons to a Northern Rail Cup Final appearance and League One promotion in 2008, and his form during that campaign was rewarded with the divisional Young Player of the Year award, along with a transfer to London Broncos.
Following his move to the capital, Gale established himself as one of Super League’s up and coming halves before earning international recognition with the England Knights. His performances for the Broncos resulted in him making the move back north to sign with Bradford Bulls.
During his three years at Odsal, he would star for the club, but ultimately, financial issues off the field forced them into administration and eventually relegation out of the Super League.
However, his performances earned a move to Castleford Tigers where Luke would establish himself as the leading half-back in the competition.
A record-breaking three Albert Goldthorpe Medals and a Man of Steel triumph in 2017 would also result in Luke receiving further international recognition with the England national team.
The 2017 season was a particularly memorable season as Gale played an integral role in the League Leaders Shield winning side, which was topped off with his memorable golden point winning drop goal in the play-off semi-final against St Helens, just two weeks after an emergency appendectomy operation.
Heartbreak would follow though at Old Trafford as Castleford lost the Super League Grand Final to Leeds, but he would play every game for England in that autumn’s Rugby League World Cup which ended with defeat to Australia in the final in Melbourne.
Following a further two seasons at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle, Gale would depart ahead of the 2020 season to return to Leeds Rhinos.
Despite the pandemic causing major disruption throughout the season, Luke would again produce a moment of magic at the crucial moment, after kicking the winning drop goal against the Salford Red Devils in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.
After a final season at Headingley, he would sign with Hull FC for the 2022 season where he made 20 appearances, before departing at the expiration of his contract with the Airlie Birds.
