LUKE GALE may well have signed for Wakefield Trinity in a bid to help the club stay in Super League, but he could well miss out on his debut away at Warrington Wolves tomorrow night.
Gale has signed a deal until the end of 2024, but Wakefield head coach Mark Applegarth knows that he needs to take it steady with the new halfback considering his transition from part-time to full-time.
“I’m not sure if he’ll play on Friday,” Applegarth said of Gale. “We’ve got to bat smart with him.
“He’s not the Luke Gale of 2017, he’s into his 30s now and is now transferring from a part-time into a full-time environment. We are very conscious we don’t want to rush him.
“We might play him on Friday or save him until next week so we can get a full week to 10 days’ training into him.”
“But he’s been great, not just with what he can do on the field for you with his organisation and leadership, but it’s how he is off the field too, in team meetings helping out with some of our younger guys and showing them what it’s like to play at the time. It’s like having another coach on the field for you.
“Luke can free Mason (Lino) up to play a bit more and take a bit of pressure off him in that sense and the same with Morgan Smith. It’s a good person for him to be tapping into to.”
Trinity have yet to win a game in 2023 with ten losses on the bounce as they head to the Halliwell Jones Stadium tomorrow night.
