Castleford Tigers boss makes definite statement on off-contract star with talks ongoing

Ryan Carr has been very clear on his desire to keep off-contract winger Jason Qareqare at Castleford Tigers beyond the end of the 2026 season, confirming that talks are ongoing in the background.

The Fijian international winger is still only 22 and is putting together a strong season despite the club’s own struggles, with his tally of five tries in 12 games second only to star signing Krystian Mapapalangi.

Qareqare debuted for Castleford in 2021, making three appearances, but 2022 was his breakout season as he scored seven tries in eight games, however, he’s had issues with injuries in the past few seasons.

Injuries would restrict him to just one appearance in 2025 but his strong start to 2026 has understandably seen questions asked about his future given the fact that he is off-contract at the end of the season.

“Yes, definitely,” Ryan Carr responded when asked during his pre-match presser if he had intentions to res-sign Qareqare for 2027 and beyond.

“Yeah, it’s an ongoing process that is happening in the background.”

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Castleford Tigers boss keen to keep Jason Qareqare for 2027

One of the reasons why Qareqare has had such a strong season is the left-edge pairing that he has formed with centre Krystian Mapapalangi, who has recently rewarded with a new three-year deal based on his performances.

The pair’s most destructive game came in the home win against Bradford Bulls, in which Qareqare scored his first career hat-trick with Mapapalangi key in creating all three tries.

Carr pointed to that pairing, stating: “The combination and relationship that he’s formed with Maps (Krystian Mapapalangi) has been really positive for him.

“It’s been really good to see him play some consistent rugby league. He’s had a really injury-interrupted last few seasons and I’m just really pleased for him to see him get some consistency.

“Them two have probably been our most consistent players, him and Maps, and that combination is something that I really think is a massive asset to us so I want to try and keep that.”