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Krystian Mapapalangi

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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 15 8 0 0 32
Total 21 9 0 0 36
Source: [1][2]
As of 13 June 2026

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.

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

Background

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

Playing career

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Early years

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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

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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

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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

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

2026

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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

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Appearances and points in all competitions by year
Club Season Tier App T G DG Pts
Newcastle Knights 2022 NRL 2 0 0 0 0
2024 NRL 4 1 0 0 4
Total 6 1 0 0 4
→ Newcastle Knights (R) 2021 NSW Cup 2 0 0 0 0
2022 NSW Cup 10 1 2 0 8
2023 NSW Cup 1 1 0 0 4
2024 NSW Cup 10 4 0 0 16
Total 23 6 2 0 28
Wests Tigers 2025 NRL 0 0 0 0 0
→ Wests Magpies (R) 2025 NSW Cup 15 5 0 0 20
Castleford Tigers 2026 Super League 15 8 0 0 32
Career total 59 20 2 0 84
As of match played 13 June 2026[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Krystian Mapapalangi - Playing Career". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "Krystian Mapapalangi". 13 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b "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.
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