Castleford Tigers prop Liam Watts has turned down interest from the NRL to sign a new three-year extension with the club, keeping him there until the end of 2023.
Watts joined his home-town club midway through 2018 from Hull FC and has been one of the stand-out performers in the division. He currently sits fourth in the man of steel standings and joint second in the Albert Goldthorpe Medal table.
“It’s been in the pipeline for a couple of months now,” Watts said of his new deal.
“When I originally signed after leaving Hull, I always knew that I wanted to settle back down and see out the rest of my career here.
“I’m dedicated to the club and with the season that I’ve been having so far it just fits in well and I’m really glad that it’s all sorted. I’m a Cas lad and I’m playing for Castleford again.
“Coming here I think I’ve got rid of the reputation I had at Hull, I’ve settled down and I’m not as erratic. That’s probably got me into the England squad and I’ve just got to keep playing well for the rest of the year to keep my place in that.
“I feel like everything has come together for me personally, I know where I’m going to be for the next four years and I’m really happy.
“I just want to see the club keep building on what it’s already achieved. We’re making a few good signings now and I just want to see fans keep on turning out. This is our home and when it’s rocking there’s nothing like The Jungle, it’s a special atmosphere. We’re doing a lot with the surrounding community clubs at the moment and we’ve got keep that going as well.
“It’s nice to see the kids out there on our pitches before our games because they’re our future. I’ve got two boys and there’s nothing more I’d like to see than them pulling on a Tigers shirt and playing on our pitch as well.”