Luke Gale has revealed he was set to be a guest player for Leeds Rhinos against New Zealand, only to have his hopes dashed due to suspension. Gale, who captained the Rhinos to Challenge Cup victory in 2020, had trained with the Rhinos during the week and was set to play in the exhibition match on Saturday.
However, the halfback, who scored the winning drop goal in the Rhinos' victory at Wembley, was denied the opportunity to have a send-off due to a ban picked up during his final game at Hull FC. The former England halfback was sin-binned for disputing a decision and subsequently handed a one-match ban.
As a result, he was informed he would be unable to play in the match, denying him the farewell he never got following his exit from the Rhinos last year. Taking to Twitter, a seemingly unimpressed Gale posted: "Thanks to @leedsrhinos for the opportunity to train with lads over the last few days… Gutted I can’t take the field tonight due to my 1 game ban as been up held by the RFL!"
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Gale is currently a free agent after leaving Hull FC following one season at the MKM Stadium. It remains to be seen what his next move will be, with several months until the start of the 2023 campaign.
Now 34, Gale has played for England nine teams, won the Man of Steel in 2017 after guiding Castleford Tigers to the League Leaders' Shield and won the Challenge Cup with the Rhinos.
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