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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 4 November 2002 Burwood, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 93 kg (14 st 9 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 21 February 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.
Mapapalangi was born in Burwood, New South Wales. He is of Tongan descent. [2]
Mapapalangi played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs' Harold Matthews Cup team in 2018 and the S. G. Ball Cup side in 2019. [3] In 2020, he joined the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' S. G. Ball Cup team. [3] Mid-way through 2021, he joined the Newcastle Knights. [4]
Ahead of the 2022 season, Mapapalangi signed a 2-year contract to be a development player with the Knights' NRL squad. [5] In August, his contract was extended until the end of 2024 and upgraded into the top 30 squad. [6] In round 23 of the 2022 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Knights against the Canberra Raiders. [4]
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. [7]
On 2 April, Mapapalangi had signed a train and trial contract with the Wests Tigers. [8]
On 22 January, Castleford Tigers announced the signing of Mapapalangi on a two-year deal. [9] [10] He made his debut against Doncaster in the Challenge Cup, [11] and was named Tigers Man of the Match in the opening round defeat against Wigan Warriors. [12] [13] [14] In round 2, he scored his first try and provided an assist for Jason Qareqare against Toulouse. [15]