Castleford Tigers boss Ryan Carr has admitted that the club would ‘love to keep’ star signing Krystian Mapapalangi for a ‘long time’, with the head coach again fielding questions on the star centre’s future.
Mapapalangi has made quite the impression in his first eight games for the Tigers after arriving from the NRL on a two-year deal, however, Carr has once again made clear his desire to secure the outside back to a longer deal.
Speaking earlier this month, Carr admitted: “He is someone we certainly want to build our club around and make sure we lock down for the future,” and after another Man of the Match performance, he’s reiterated that stance.
Mapapalangi was a two-try hero in Castleford’s upset win over Wigan Warriors and asked post-match about the centre, Carr was full of praise for the 23-year-old.
“He’s what we knew we bought. That’s why we went and bought him,” the head coach told BBC West Yorkshire radio post-match.
“He just needed an opportunity and needed someone to believe in him.
“We knew he was a talented player but we knew he was a really good person too, so that’s why we went after him and we’re really happy that he’s here with us.”
Castleford Tigers keen to keep star centre on longer deal
Carr was eager to praise his whole team and deservedly so, however, the questioning returned to focus on Mapapalangi with the head coach tipping more to come from the centre.
He said: “He’s done a great job for us and I’m going to keep challenging him to get better because I think there is more in him, we’re going to keep going after that.”
As for questions on his future, Carr again admitted that Castleford would love to secure the 23-year-old to a longer-term deal, something that would be a massive boost for the Tigers.
“We’d love to keep him with us for a long time,” the head coach said, adding: “He’s happy, he’s in a good space and he’s playing some really good footy in our system. That’s the way it should be, you help each other get better.
“He’s helping us get better and we’re doing our best to help him get better. I love coaching him.”
The perfect start. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/L6nCZl20it
— Castleford Tigers (@CTRLFC) April 20, 2026
