LUKE GALE will hang up his boots after this weekend when Wakefield Trinity go up against Toulouse Olympique in the Championship Grand Final.
Over the course of 18 seasons, Gale has amassed a total of over 2,000 points and almost 400 games.
During that time, the 36-year-old has plied his trade for the likes of Doncaster, Bradford Bulls, London Broncos, Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC, Keighley Cougars and now Wakefield Trinity.
However, though Gale has been set on retiring at the end of the 2024 Championship season to take up a coaching role at Wakefield with the club’s academy, he is still well sought after in rugby league circles.
“I wouldn’t say I had offers but there were a couple of coaches that I knew that said ‘you don’t fancy playing for us do you?’ in almost throwing the hat in the ring,” Gale told League Express.
“I know I’m ready to hang up my boots. I really enjoy the coaching side of things and opportunities to coach academies don’t come up every week – it’s a hard job to get into.
“It’s a privilege to be at this club and to hopefully pass some knowledge on to the next generation as they come through.”
So does Gale want to be an assistant and then a head coach eventually?
“I always said that I’ve done everything in my career but I haven’t got a Grand Final winners’ ring.
“The dream would be to coach a team to a Grand Final win and I know that’s a big goal as I’m just starting out.
“I obviously haven’t even done one year yet but every coach wants to win a Grand Final and I’m no different.”
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