Castleford scrum-half Luke Gale says the only people that devalue the League Leaders’ Shield are the ones who are languishing below them in the Super League table after their historic triumph last week: before backing the Tigers to go on and do the double.
The Tigers will finish top of the table for the first time in their history this year after securing the League Leaders’ Shield last week: but some have questioned the value of the trophy in comparison to the sport’s other big prizes.
But Gale insists it means plenty to Castleford – before hitting out at their critics.
He told TotalRL: “The people who say the League Leaders’ Shield means nothing are probably sat in sixth and seventh!
“That’s the people who say that. This means you’re the best team in the competition over the course of a year.
“We could all get used to this. What a feeling. It’s a special group of lads we’ve got here and it’s hard to put into words what this all means to me and my career.”
However, Gale insists Castleford will not be putting their feet up in light of their success.
He wants them to go on and replicate their league success with a first ever appearance at Old Trafford in the Grand Final: a feat he says Castleford can achieve.
“Of course we can do it,” he said. “The challenge is the double. We’ve got the team and the squad to do it so let’s go on and make it two.
“We’ll enjoy this and we’ll definitely celebrate it but we know we go into a different competition next. There’s the Grand Final on the horizon and it resembles a bit of a cup-style run-in but we’ll be ready for it and we’ll make sure we give ourselves the best chance possible of making it all the way to Old Trafford.”
