Luke Gale reveals one of the lowest changing rooms he’s seen & suggests Tony Smith’s Hull FC appointment was made earlier than we think

Luke Gale has played in the biggest games in rugby league.

In 2017 alone he played in both a Grand Final and a Rugby League World Cup Final, his drop goal won the 2020 Challenge Cup Final for Leeds Rhinos at Wembley against Salford Red Devils.

He’s also played in the Leeds-Bradford derbies and the Leeds-Castleford derbies, but in 2022, whilst at Hull FC he got the chance to play in the famous Hull derby.

Speaking on the Full 80 Minutes podcast, Gale revealed that losing a Hull derby is as low as he has seen a changing room: “It was massive, you don’t want to lose that derby.

“The first derby that we lost, the changing room after that was as low as a changing room as you can get.”

He also said you can’t compare it to other derbies but noted that “it’s mad.”

He said: “We got the boys to talk about what it means. It’s mad. I don’t think there’s ever been a derby that you can compare it to, it’s like comparing eras, you can’t compare them.

Such a big game many speculate that Hull FC’s final day defeat against Hull KR – who only had 16 players – was the reason the Black and Whites parted company with now England Rugby Union defence coach Brett Hodgson.

When asked this, Gale suggested that Tony Smith’s appointment had already been sorted: “I wouldn’t like to say, but I think Tony might have already been sorted, that would be my opinion, I wouldn’t know.”