On the eve of a clash with his former club, Carl Forster has signed a new two-year deal with Barrow Raiders.
Forster had an 18-month spell as player coach at Whitehaven who are visitors on Sunday for a Cumbrian derby.
The St Helens-born prop has made 39 appearances so far for the Raiders, having initially joined on a one-year deal from Whitehaven in September 2019.
The 30-year-old has gone on to become an integral part of the club’s forward pack and has played a major role in the Raiders’ impressive return to the Betfred Championship in 2022.
He has scored twice in 17 appearances during the current campaign, starting every one of those matches.
Forster, who is also part of the Raiders coaching setup, will now remain at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium until the end of the 2024 season.
On his decision to stay, Forster said: “I love it here, have done since day one and I’ll more than likely end my career here if all goes well.
“The club has been good to me and hopefully I can repay that back on the field. It’s nice to have that security for the next two years and just concentrate on my rugby.
“It’s been a good 2-3 years for me personally, and hopefully the next two are the same.
“I think the potential at the club is huge. You can see how far we’ve come in the last two years on the field, but probably more importantly how far we’ve come off the field.
“I think huge credit must go to Steve Neale, Andy Gaffney and all the staff involved with the direction the club is going in. It’s great to be a small part of that.”
Barrow Raiders chairman Steve Neale said: “With a possible restructure on the horizon, it is vital that our successful season isn’t a one-off and that we become firmly established as a top-end Championship club.
“Carl has been one of our most consistent performers and was attracting interest from elsewhere, so we are delighted to have him onboard.”
Director of rugby Andy Gaffney added: “Carl has been a real leader on the pitch for us since he first came to Barrow. He brings a lot of quality and knowledge to the squad.
“He is a winner, has great energy and skills and really holds us together in the pack. It was really important to keep Carl at the club, and we are delighted to make that happen.”
