
Former Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers and most recently Wakefield Trinity man Luke Gale has discussed his move into coaching after retiring at the end of the 2024 season.
The 36-year-old called time on his playing career in 2024 with his final game being Trinity’s Championship Grand Final win over Toulouse Olympique – a game that cemented a treble-winning season.
Gale is still set to feature in one more game with his testimonial slated for January 24th as Wakefield Trinity host one of his former clubs Castleford Tigers at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
The former England international has remained at Trinity with Gale moving into a coaching role as head coach of the club’s academy, a role that he splits with helping out the first-team.
Reflecting on the first few months in his coaching career, Gale has spoken on the Wakefield Trinity Youtube channel about the journey so far.
“I’m loving it. It’s a lot different to what a player is,” he exclaimed.
Ex-Wakefield Trinity man Luke Gale ‘loving’ new coaching role
Gale debuted back in 2007 and those 17 years of being a pro meant a shock to the system when moving to coaching with the 36-year-old revealing the change of routine to be the biggest issue initially.
He explained: “Having played for so long, you’ve got a set routine and then coaching comes and it’s completely different.
“I’m really enjoying it, I’ve been helping out the first-team boys half the time and then also head coach of the academy so it’s been really good.
“It’s not too different. You still enjoy the lad’s craic but it’s just finding the routine initially.”
Having officially hung up the boots, Gale confirmed that one of the major reasons was so that he can pour all of his energy into coaching – something he envisions a career in.
Gale stated: “(One of the reasons) why I wanted to put a close on the playing career was that the more you can get in now (coaching) then the better down the line. Cutting my teeth with the academy boys is great, I’m learning on the job – it’s a challenge and that’s what I like.
“It’s a fair old pre-season, I don’t think we actually play till April or the back end of March so there will be a fair more few floggings for the lads yet.”
Despite being three months into the new job, the 36-year-old still hasn’t quite kicked the itch of playing – explaining how he felt on Boxing Day and how he anticipates he’ll feel when the Super League season gets underway next month.
“I’ve not missed it yet but on Boxing Day when the lads were in the changing room, I reckon I’d have pulled the shirt on if needed. That’s probably going to be the hard bit when the games come around.”
