Acting Leeds Rhinos captain Luke Gale gearing up for major milestone
ACTING-CAPTAIN LUKE Gale is set to make the 300th appearance of his career when Leeds Rhinos play host to Toronto Wolfpack tomorrow.
Gale, who started in Leeds’ academy and rejoined them from Castleford Tigers last autumn, has skippered the side in their last three games after Stevie Ward was ruled out with concussion.
As well as his four appearances for Leeds, Gale has played 43 times for Doncaster, 72 with Harlequins, 64 for Bradford Bulls and 104 with Castleford, as well as winning 10 England caps and two for England Knights.
He also needs eight points to reach 1,500 in Super League, having scored 26 for Leeds Rhinos, 947 as a Tigers player, 272 with Bradford and 247 at Harlequins.
On-loan Wigan Warriors prop Joe Greenwood has been named in Rhinos’ initial 21-man squad and, if selected, will make his 100th Super League appearance, having played 68 times for St Helens and 31 with Wigan.
Callum McLelland, Alex Sutcliffe, Tom Holroyd and Liam Sutcliffe are also vying for a call up.
Jack Walker (ankle) drops out from the side which thrashed Warrington Wolves last week and joins Tom Briscoe, Kruise Leeming, Ward and Dom Crosby on Leeds’ casualty list.
Toronto coach Brian McDermott has named only a 20-man squad and will select from the 17 who lost at St Helens last Saturday, plus Andrew Dixon, Darcy Lussick and Ben Kilner.
Former Leeds Rhinos prop Anthony Mullally is in contention to make his 200th career appearance, but Wolfpack are without his ex-Rhinos team-mate Brad Singleton.
Toronto’s top tackler during the first four rounds of the season, Singleton is facing up to four months on the sidelines with a knee ligament injury.
Leeds Rhinos: from Newman, Hurrell, Handley, Lui, Gale, Seumanufagai, Prior, Mellor, Martin, Dwyer, L Sutcliffe, Myler, Cuthbertson, Oledzki, Smith, McLelland, L Briscoe, Donaldson, A Sutcliffe, Holroyd, Greenwood.
Toronto Wolfpack: from Ackers, Dixon, Gigot, Kay, Kilner, Leutele, Lussick, McCrone, Miloudi, Mullally, O’Brien, Olbison, Russell, Sidlow, Springer, Thompson, Wallace, Wells, Wilkin, Williams.
Referee: Liam Moore (Wigan).
Kick-off: Tonight, 7.45pm.