Luke Gale astonished the rugby league world when he left home town club Leeds to take on a new challenge at Hull FC despite having a year left on his contract at Headingley.
The 2017 Man of Steel made the move to the MKM Stadium at the start of November with his arrival announced just hours after it was revealed that Hull FC legend Marc Sneyd was returning to Salford. The switch raised a few eyebrows with many expecting Gale to line up alongside Aidan Sezer at Headingley in 2022 with Blake Austin providing cover across a number of positions.
However, that all changed with the announcement of Gale’s departure as he looks to take on a new challenge at Hull FC. The former Castleford scrum-half will be tasked with turning Hull into a play-off outfit once again after a disappointing end to the 2021 campaign. A brilliant number seven, Hull fans are excited to see what he can bring to the club and how he might link up with the likes of Josh Reynolds and Jake Connor.
With big expectations on his shoulders going into 2022, it seems Gale has hit the ground running at his new club after he gave an update to the Hull FC website about his first few weeks with the club and what he thinks he can bring to the side: “A lot of it is down to mindset and I came into day one at Hull FC in a really positive frame of mind, still really excited after signing the deal.
“Coming into the club, the coach wanted to get me to spread some of my mental toughness throughout the group and that’s been important with some of the long days we’ve had in pre-season so far.
“Leadership is just a natural part of the person I am. I’ll always be willing to jump in and be vocal.”
Gale also had nothing but positive things to say about the coaching staff at Hull believing that he already has a positive relationship with those in charge: “It’s been a really positive three weeks so far and the boys couldn’t have been any better with me.
“The coaching staff have been excellent with me and they welcomed me with open arms.
“I find it really helpful that the coaching staff knew exactly what they require from me, and vice versa.”
“So it’s been a good start and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”
Thus, it seems Gale and Hull FC are in a good place going into the 2022 season, but the question remains can Gale replicate the success he brought to Leeds in 2020 when his drop goal handed them the Challenge Cup? Time will tell.
