Castleford Tigers news: boss keen to keep Australian ace, says 'he's someone to build our club around'
Castleford Tigers are keen to secure impressive centre Krystian Mapapalangi on a long-term contract, coach Ryan Carr has confirmed.
The 23-year-old Australian joined Castleford in January from Wests Tigers on a two-year deal, having scored five tries in 15 games for New South Wales Cup feeder side Western Suburbs Magpies in 2025. Castleford have had a tough start to the season, winning two of their six Betfred Super League games so far, but Mapapalangi, who made two first team appearances for Newcastle Knights in 2022 and four more a couple of years later, has been consistently impressive and Carr stressed he is “someone we want to build our club around”.
Speaking at his weekly preview press conference today (Thursday) ahead of Sunday’s home derby against Wakefield Trinity, Carr said: “We knew what we were buying, that’s why we went after him. He is a quality player and a quality person. We love having him here.
“He is awesome to work with day-in and day-out; the boys love playing with him and love being around him and his company, even off the field. He is just a good kid and he is going from strength to strength.”
Carr predicted: “He is only going to continue to get better. He is someone we certainly want to build our club around and make sure we lock down for the future. We are happy he is with us, he is happy here and we just want to make sure we continue to have him in a Cas jersey year on year.”
Carr confirmed he has “had a few chats” with Mapapalangi, but stressed: “It is not my job to put any pressure on him. I just want him to focus on this weekend’s game, which is a massive game for us, but that sort of stuff usually sorts itself out in time.”