Castleford Tigers' Kenny Edwards signs new long-term contract

The New Zealand-born second-rower joined Tigers from Huddersfield Giants on a 12-month deal in pre-season and has now re-signed for three more years.

The 32-year-old revealed it wasn’t a straight-forward decision, but he is happy to be staying and has his sights set on silverware.

“At the start of the year I made the decision I was going to head back to Australia with my young family,” Edwards revealed.

“My kids were missing family and the missus wanted to head home.

“At the time, it was snowing and raining every day so it was harder to convince them, but as the year has gone on, my partner started to come around and enjoy it here.

“Her business has started to flourish and she has got a good support network which has made it a bit easier.

“The sun has made it a bit easier too.

“It was a hard decision but one I’m comfortable with now.”

Edwards played for Sunday’s visitors Catalans Dragons before Huddersfield, but feels he has found a home at Castleford.

“Parramatta was my home and is all I’d known in the NRL,” he reflected.

“I didn’t leave there on the best terms and it was hard for me to move on mentally.

“Since then I’ve struggled to find somewhere I belong.

“I spent a couple of years at Catalans and then I was at Huddersfield, [but] this feels like home to me and where I belong.

“I’ve only been here half a year but I’ve played the best football of my whole career here.

“The biggest thing was it feels like home with the coaching staff and the players.

“I’ve been searching for that feeling since I left Parramatta.”

Of what Tigers could achieve during his new deal. Edwards insisted: “I want to win stuff in the next three years.”

He said: “The big thing for me was knowing the club’s recruitment and retention plans heading into next year and the next few years.

“It’s only upwards from here.”