Castleford Tigers prop forward Suaia Matagi admits that he is unsure about his future, given that he is currently on loan with the Tigers from his parent club Huddersfield Giants.
But with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Matagi, 33, who played in the Tigers’ 20-10 victory over St Helens at the Totally Wicked Stadium last Thursday, has no doubt that he would like to continue his career at the Mend a Hose Jungle under incoming coach Lee Radford.
Since joining Castleford at the start of the season, Matagi has become a popular forward amongst the Castleford supporters.
“I’m not too sure at the moment, I’ll probably just do what I’ve always done and take it one week at a time,” Matagi said, when asked where he would be playing in 2022.
“That’s what’s in my control and that’s what I’ve done in the past and I’ve always believed everything else will take care of itself.
“But I’d love to stay. I know how I’ve dealt with things in the past when I’m coming to the end of contract; you’ve just got to take care week by week and that is what I’m doing.
“If I can put my best foot forward everything else will take care of itself.”
Matagi joined Huddersfield from Parramatta for the 2019 season, just in time for the Covid-induced disruptions of the 2020 season. But he is still glad he came to Super League.
“I’ve got no regrets about moving at that time; coming over I’m really grateful for the opportunity to see the other side of the world,” he said.
“A lot of people back in Australia and New Zealand never get to experience that in a lifetime.
“I’m seeing the beautiful history over here and I just appreciate my time here in the UK. There’s lovely people and I love the history and architecture.”
Meanwhile Castleford have expressed their condolences for former referee John Kendrew, who was a Castleford native and was known by many as ‘The Singing Referee’.
Kendrew was a first-grade referee from 1982 to 1994and was elected the President of the Senior Referees for the 1989/90 season. From 1990 he was the Secretary of the Castleford Rugby League Players’ Association.
“John was a massive Cas fan, he refereed me, and he was just a champion of a bloke,” said Castleford coach Daryl Powell.
“I want to put on record from myself and everybody at Castleford Tigers that we will miss him.
“A real champion and such a character, he was called ‘The Singing Ref’ and I just loved him as a bloke. As a Castleford fan, the club was a massive part of his life.”
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