Wikipedia

Krystian Mapapalangi

Krystian Mapapalangi (born 4 November 2002) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

Krystian Mapapalangi
Personal information
Born (2002-11-04) 4 November 2002 (age 23)
Burwood, New South Wales, Australia
Height6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)
Weight14 st 9 lb (93 kg)
Playing information
PositionCentre, Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2022–24 Newcastle Knights 6 1 0 0 4
2025 Wests Tigers 0 0 0 0 0
2026– Castleford Tigers 12 6 0 0 24
Total 18 7 0 0 28
Source: [1][2]
As of 16 May 2026

He has previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League.

Background

edit

Mapapalangi was born in Burwood, New South Wales. He is of Tongan descent.[3]

Playing career

edit

Early years

edit

Mapapalangi played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs' Harold Matthews Cup team in 2018 and the S. G. Ball Cup side in 2019.[4] In 2020, he joined the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' S. G. Ball Cup team.[4] Mid-way through 2021, he joined the Newcastle Knights.[5]

2022

edit

Ahead of the 2022 season, Mapapalangi signed a 2-year contract to be a development player with the Knights' NRL squad.[6] In August, his contract was extended until the end of 2024 and upgraded into the top 30 squad.[7] In round 23 of the 2022 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Knights against the Canberra Raiders.[5]

2024

edit

Mapapalangi played 4 matches for the Knights in 2024, after not playing any throughout 2023. He parted ways with the club at the end of the season.[8]

2025

edit

On 2 April, Mapapalangi had signed a train and trial contract with the Wests Tigers.[9]

2026

edit

On 22 January, Castleford Tigers announced the signing of Mapapalangi on a two-year deal.[10][11] He made his debut against Doncaster in the Challenge Cup,[12] and was named Tigers Man of the Match in the opening round defeat against Wigan Warriors.[13][14][15] In round 2, he scored his first try and provided an assist for his winger Jason Qareqare against Toulouse Olympique.[16] Mapapalangi failed a head injury assessment against St Helens in the cup and was thus ruled out for round 5, due to a late high tackle for which Kyle Feldt received a three-match ban.[17] He provided three try assists for Qareqare against Bradford Bulls in round 6, earning praise for a "sublime performance".[18] After scoring two tries to lead Castleford to victory against Wigan in round 8, head coach Ryan Carr reiterated his hope to agree a long-term contract with Mapapalangi.[19][20][21]

Statistics

edit
Appearances and points in all competitions by year
ClubSeasonTier App T G DG Pts
Newcastle Knights 2022 NRL 20000
2024 NRL 41004
Total 61004
→ Newcastle Knights (R) 2021 NSW Cup 20000
2022 NSW Cup 101208
2023 NSW Cup 11004
2024 NSW Cup 1040016
Total 2362028
Wests Tigers 2025 NRL 00000
→ Wests Magpies (R) 2025 NSW Cup 1550020
Castleford Tigers 2026 Super League 1260024
Career total 56182076
As of match played 16 May 2026[1][2]

References

edit
  1. 1 2 "Krystian Mapapalangi - Playing Career". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Player Summary: Krystian Mapapalangi". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Where we're from: Our cultural heritage" – via www.newcastleknights.com.au.
  4. 1 2 "Krystian Mapapalangi". 13 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Knights v Raiders Round 23 NRL team list". Newcastle Knights. 16 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "2021 signings tracker: Contracts by club". National Rugby League. 24 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "2022 NRL Signings Tracker: Hunt extends at Sharks; Amone locked in with Red V". National Rugby League. 16 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Chalk, Ethan Lee (17 September 2024). "Knights confirm departures of six players". Zero Tackle.
  9. ↑ "Wests Tigers NRL roster update". Wests Tigers. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  10. ↑ "Castleford sign Wests Tigers centre Mapapalangi". BBC Sport. 22 January 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  11. ↑ Shaw, Matthew (22 January 2026). "Castleford Tigers land NRL centre in latest major recruitment move". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  12. ↑ O'Brien, James (7 February 2026). "Doncaster 0 Castleford Tigers 14: Not picture perfect but job done for Ryan Carr". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  13. ↑ Smith, Peter (20 February 2026). "Culture change lifting Castleford Tigers as 'good pick up' shows way forward". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  14. ↑ Lanigan, Adam (15 February 2026). "Wigan start with hard-fought win at Castleford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  15. ↑ Walker, Callum (19 February 2026). "Krystian Mapapalangi gives honest account of Super League debut as Castleford fans hailed". TotalRL. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  16. ↑ Cresswell, Matthew (21 February 2026). "Toulouse maintain strong start in win over Castleford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  17. ↑ "St Helens winger Feldt given three-game ban". BBC Sport. 16 March 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Shaw, Matthew (27 March 2026). "Castleford Tigers have unearthed a new Super League star". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Olawumi, Ben (20 April 2026). "Castleford coach waxes lyrical over Krystian Mapapalangi as contract latest delivered after Wigan win". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  20. ↑ McAllister, Josh (20 April 2026). "Super League warned over Krystian Mapapalangi as Castleford make contract priority clear". All Out Rugby League. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  21. ↑ Harber, Tony (21 April 2026). "Castleford Tigers have long term plan for star signing Krystian Mapapalangi". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Krystian_Mapapalangi&oldid=1354603038"