Luke Gale has always been aware of the significance of the Leeds no.7 shirt, but never more so than this season.
Gale grew up on the Headingley terraces before joining the club’s scholarship scheme as a youngster. But his path to the first team was always likely to be blocked by a rising star six years his senior in Rob Burrow.
Gale remembers travelling with the team to a reserves game as a teenager and marvelling at the ability of Burrow and half-back partner Danny McGuire, before leaving the Rhinos to find his own route to the top.
Now back at his boyhood club after two injury-hit years at Castleford, the 2017 Steve Prescott Man of Steel and England international will pull on the shirt he always coveted in the new Super League season that kicks off on Thursday.
And following Burrow’s devastating motor neurone disease diagnosis and the swell of support that has followed, Gale is more determined than ever to do it justice.
“When you think of the no.7 at Leeds Rhinos, Rob Burrow comes to your mind,” Gale explained.
“I’ve played against him all my career basically and seen how good, tough and resilient he’s been.
“I can remember being in the academy, and they used to let two of us travel with and go and watch the under-21s every week. I went on the bus with them, I must only have been about 15 at the time.
“Rob and Danny McGuire were the half-backs in that game and I think they scored four tries between them. I can remember thinking then I had some work to do to get to their level, and as it transpired I moved on from Leeds.
“The way it turned out, with Rob being the no.7 for so many years and me taking a different path, I’m happy with that. I don’t think I’ll get to achieve even a quarter of the things he’s done in his career - eight Grand Finals is unreal, unprecedented.
“But if I can be half the player he’s been for Leeds, I'd be a happy guy and I’m sure the fans would be happy. If I wear the seven jersey and show as much pride in it as he did, then I’ll be satisfied.”
Gale has his own personal motivation for succeeding in 2020, after being restricted to just 15 games over the last two years due to knee and achilles injuries.
He added: “In 2017 I went from winning Man of Steel, getting to the Grand Final and playing in a World Cup - it was the height of a career. But I always think that you find out more about yourself in adversity than in those highs.
“As good as ’17 was, I’ve probably learned more about myself and my character in the two years since. In 2018 it was stop-start - I picked up the injury, came back and wasn’t right.
“I’ve had to be patient and there’s been days when I wondered if I’d ever get back, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t. I remember my first running session at Cas, sitting on the side of the pitch wondering if I’d ever get back to even running properly, let alone playing.
“But I know I’m resilient and I want it even more than ever. The doubters as well - the people saying that’s it after the injuries I’ve had - that gets me up in a morning and puts fire in my belly.
“In 2020 I want to put all that behind me and have a massive year.”
