Former Whitehaven forward Tyla Hepi has signed a new contract with Super League club Castleford Tigers.
Hepi arrived at the Tigers in 2020 from Championship club Toulouse Olympique where he played more than 100 games.
He spent 2015 at the Recreation Ground, playing in 26 games and scoring four tries before moving across the channel.
However, since arriving at Castleford he has played sporadically during his time at the club.
But, having played in the club’s historic win over St Helens last week, the versatile forward has now put pen to paper on a new contract. He has made eight Super League appearances so far, already one more than he managed in 2020.
Hepi is the son of former Carlisle, Workington and Castleford favourite Brad and he had started his career with Hull KR, where he made a handful of appearances before moving on.
His father Brad was a member of Workington’s successful side of the Peter Walsh era.
The club was promoted from the third division to the first in two seasons, winning the Divisional Premiership against London Broncos along the way.
Town initially struggled in the top flight and found themselves at the bottom of the league at Christmas 1994. But an early-January 36-10 win over Halifax, with Hepi man of the match, was the turning point. From there, they rose from 16th to 9th – a position that saw them qualify for the first Super League season in 1996.
