KEIGHLEY Cougars have announced the marquee signing of half-back Luke Gale, who has previously played with distinction for Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos.

The former Man of Steel arrives at Cougar Park on a one-year deal following his departure from Super League side Hull FC.

Despite being linked with moves to Super League outfits and fellow clubs within the Championship, the ambition and drive of the Cougars following promotion to the second tier helped attract the 34-year-old back to West Yorkshire.

Ahead of joining his teammates for training for the first time, Gale is looking forward to life as a Cougar, admitting: “I feel that this will be a great fit for me.

“I want to come here to Keighley and help these lads compete within the Championship and with the squad we have got, we will definitely be pushing at the right end of the table.

“Things have been a bit different for me this season as it is the first time that I have ever gone into a pre-season without a deal at a club.

“I made the decision to train by myself and give myself a couple months out of rugby league after playing and training for 14 straight seasons.

“I have been training at Driven Athlete with (Cougars' head of performance) Chris Black and as a result have bumped into Rhys Lovegrove quite often.

“When I’ve spoken to Chris, as I know Blacky quite well, he told me that I would really enjoy myself if I signed for Keighley.

“I’ve met and spoken with Rhys a few times now and he is one of the best young coaches within the game right now and we just clicked straight away.

“And that came off the back of last season, which for me wasn’t a good year both personally and from a team point of view.

“But I am in a different stage of my career now and not getting any younger.

“I began my career at this level of the game with Doncaster and feel that I have now come full circle.

“I can’t wait to see what the Championship brings this season as there isn’t one standout team and it will be a tough league.”

An England international, Challenge Cup winner and Man of Steel during his illustrious career, Gale will bring a whole host of top-level ability and experience to the dressing room.

Produced by the famed Leeds Rhinos academy, it was a loan spell at Doncaster which allowed the half-back to make his name.

Helping the Dons to promotion through the League One play-offs in 2008, his form also saw him win the divisional Young Player of the Year award and earn a move to the London Broncos.

Establishing himself as one of Super League’s up and coming halves, Gale soon earned international recognition with the England Knights before making the move back north to sign with the Bradford Bulls.

During his three years at Odsal, he shone brightly for the club, despite financial issues off the field forcing them into administration and eventually relegation out of Super League.

His performances earned a move to the Castleford Tigers, where Gale established himself as arguably the leading half-back in the top flight.

A record-breaking three Albert Goldthorpe Medals and a Man of Steel triumph in 2017 saw him earn further international recognition with the England national team.

The 2017 season was a particularly memorable one for Gale, who played an integral role in the League Leaders' Shield winning Cas side.

That was topped off with his memorable golden point winning drop goal in the play-off semi-final against St Helens just a fortnight removed from an emergency appendectomy operation.

Heartbreak followed at Old Trafford with a Grand Final defeat to Leeds, but Gale then played every game for England in that autumn’s Rugby League World Cup, which ended with a narrow loss to Australia in the final in Melbourne.

Remaining at The Jungle for a further two seasons, the half departed ahead of 2020 to sign with the Leeds Rhinos.

Despite the pandemic playing havoc with that season, Gale again stepped up when it mattered to slot the winning drop goal against the Salford Red Devils in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley.

After a further year at Headingley, he joined Hull FC for the 2022 campaign, where he made 20 appearances, before departing over the off-season after the expiration of his contract with the Airlie Birds.

Gale is available for both corporate and supporter sponsorship for the 2023 season, with those interested able to contact the club via telephone on 01535 606044.

Players contracted for season 2023 (as of 19/12/2022): Sadiq Adebiyi; Mo Agoro; Dane Chisholm; Ben Crooks; Thomas Doyle; Keenan Dyer-Dixon; Toby Everett; Luke Gale; Billy Gaylor; Charlie Graham; Mark Ioane; Kyle Kesik; Aaron Levy; Josh Lynam; Jack Miller; Anesu Mudoti; Dan Parker; Ellis Robson; Lloyd Roby; Nathan Roebuck; Brenden Santi; Harvey Spence; Alix Stephenson; Robbie Storey; Kyle Trout; Brad Walker; Jake Webster; Lewis Young.