WTF has Beckham to do with Gale?

Beckham has nothing to do with Gale but the green eyed ones will use any excuse to get a dig in.

Right back at you. For any out there of my age I think you'll find that TJ's style and looks when he goes clear is identical to (1st sub 4 minute miler) Roger Bannister but in modern gear.

Ha ha. I know what you mean NG.
Gets to full tilt pretty quick though. I'd be interested to see his longer distance stats.

Another swings and roundabouts example.

He's got a touch of arrogance and is a tad egocentric on the pitch - helps to make him the classy half back he is and I don't have a problem with it as long as it stays on the pitch, which from what I've seen it seems to.

Have to say with Powell at Cas and the way they play rugby I'm finding it hard to dislike them - wish Millward was still there

I think we've eventually stumbled upon an interesting talking point here amidst the bitter and scornful chelping......

As a half back I think it's always helpful to have a bit of arrogance and eccentricity on the field. I think it adds something to your reputation somewhat. Ok, you need to back it up in the way you play, but I don't think anyone on here can genuinely argue that gale hasn't played well since joining from Bradford.

Wakefield seemed to put a lot of emphasis on closing him down and did a decent job of keeping him quiet. Whether it was coincidental or not I'm not sure, but it was like they'd put all efforts of concentration into gale and Roberts got neglected a bit on your left edge.

Powell said after the game that our attack seems to have a really nice balance.

In recent years we've only attacked with one half back, be it chase, sneyd, gale....

Having gale, Shenton and Eden on one side, with Roberts mcmeeken and Webster on the other gives cas real options left and right which makes it hard to just close down one half back.

Gale has a developed an ego and a lot of bravado, and I'm more than happy with that (ON the field, of course) and with that comes extra attention from defences, or it tends to.

Yano, it's strange in the UK..... We tend to think negatively of any home grown players who start to become arrogant and cocky. As long as it remains on the field, and to the media to a degree, I think it's a brilliant trait to have.

The aussies wouldn't be half as intimidating if they didn't have their sneering and smug attitude. They seem to think they have the divine right to win, because they KNOW they're better than anyone else. And who can blame em

I've said this for years, mainly about Broughy who seems universally disliked because of his arrogance.

We've bemoaned the lack of a cocky, arrogant, gobby halfback with the skills to trouble Australia and NZ since the days of Andy Gregory. Yet along comes Danny Brough and we use exactly those character traits as a reason not to select him, same with Lee Briers to a lesser degree!

I've no problem with Gale and enjoy watching Castleford play.

Agree 100% Avenger, not only England but it's what Wakefield have lacked for a few seasons , a gobby HB and a forward who will take no sheite, a bit like Poore did with Farrell

And ideally you want your forward that takes no sheite to hit the other teams gobby hb so hard he decides that today is not his day and disappears for the rest of the match.

No doubt about it TJ is electric fast but was well shackled on Friday.
I remember saying last year that I would like to see a straight foot race between him and Solomona.

Not universally, I've liked him ever since his spell at Cas. When we beat Widnes in the Championship final Danny played almost the perfect game even though he knew it was his last game for us before moving over to you.

Everybody (bar Cas fans) hate Luke Gale but would love it if he played for them. Very much like Broughy

If it's any consolation; as good as he is for Cas, I still can't fully take to him; he's too "Leeds" for my liking!

I think Luke Gale is a great player and would love him playing for us. This doesn't mean we can't have a bit of banter about his shortcomings (short-combings?)

Humility over arrogance everyday of the week for me.

Arrogance sets yourself up for a fall, with plenty of happy onlookers.

I don't think Gale is arrogant at all. Brough snarls his way through a game. I think Gale is merely enthusiastic, and that is why he touched the ref. There was no malice in it. He needs to cut it out, but I see a man who is merely enjoying where he has arrived at.

I'm enjoying watching Cas, and assuming that Wakey won't be there, I'd like to see a Hull and Cas Grand Final.

Luke Gale is the rugby league equivalent to that bloke in nightclubs who turns up dressed to the nines, buying stupid drinks and trying it on with everyone's Mrs but when confronted, hides behind his biggest mate still gobbing off.

The man is a grade A Bellwhiff and if it wasn't for his mate Jon Wells harping on about him every other minute, constantly picking up and praising him on things that every other player also does just as well then no one would care less about him.

He's a product of the Sky hype train and is in no way shape or from a test match half. When he played against the Kiwi's he got absolutely mullered. Liability.

Just out of interest, who is a test match half then? Kevin Brown, Richie Myler.....Declan Patton?! I reckon he's the best of a mediocre bunch.

First of all - I don't recognise your archetypal 'that' bloke; and secondly, what a load of bitter, envious tosh.

Like it or not, Gale is currently the best hb in SL, with Williams at Wigan not far behind; if you can't recognise that, you don't know what you're watching. Like many before him, he may well have a touch of arrogant swagger about his game - but I think that comes with the territory of a smaller, skillful guy, going up against the bodybuilding monsters of SL - and finding a way to not only survive, but outplay them.

In an era when size, strength and athleticism trumps all, I'm happy to see players like Gale, Williams, Sneyd, Myler and Miller demonstrating that skill, guile and intelligence still plays an important part in the game; otherwise, it's just Rugby Union.

* Yawn *

Widdop, Williams or Smith.

Test match rugby is completely different to superleague. Gale doesn't fit in to the system. whether you care to acknowledge it or not. The sky team would love you to believe he's the be all and end all and the missing link for England but he isn't.

Smith ????

My thoughts too.

He doesn't fit into a system when he's played on the wrong side. He's a left-sided half-back, not a right side, but yet got shoehorned there to accommodate Widdop and Williams (who are both left-sided). Then Brown got shoved on to the right (he's another left-sided half).

Play him on his better side and you'll see better results. For me, Williams is a natural half-back and I think could cope with playing on the right side but even then it may not suit him either.

But I'd say his reputation comes from having 46 try assists last year (nearly double anyone else) and 10 already this year. Plus his 15 tries. Nothing to do with Sky.

For comparison purposes:

Smith: 12 assists, 5 tries
Williams: 31 try assists, 14 tries
Sneyd: 32 try assists, 7 tries

Ohhh yeah silly me, i'd completely forgotten about all those 3 players who have been superb for England in recent years, helping us defeat the Aussies & Kiwis on numerous occasions

Get real mate, Williams is a decent prospect, but that's all right now, just because Widdop plays in the NRL doesn't make him a world beater either, if he were Australian, there would be probably 10 others in front of him for their shirt in the national team. Not for one minute am I saying Luke Gale is the answer to all our prayers, but given the way he's performed the last couple of seasons, I think he deserves a decent shot at playing for his country.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh. So he wasn't on his preferred side? well then, now it all makes sense... I do apologise.

Jesus wept...






Yep, the Smith who's a ~GF winner, CC winner, Double winner and a lance Todd winner. But yeah Gale's the man