Liam Watts has revealed he is close to activating a clause in his contract which will secure him another year at Castleford Tigers for the 2025 season.
The veteran prop, 34, has told Love Rugby League that making 15 appearances in the current campaign will automatically guarantee him a deal with the Tigers for next term.
Watts, a key figure in Castleford’s renaissance under Craig Lingard which has seen them win three successive Super League games, also explained how there is an option for him to stay on at the club when he retires.
Asked if he was on board at his hometown team next term, Watts told Love Rugby League: “It’s 50-50 at the minute because I’ve got to play a couple more games to reach 15 for the season.
“But I’ve already played about 13 and am not far off from my clause kicking in, so I’ll get to 15 and be here for next year as well.
“I’ve got a few little business interests outside of rugby league, but this year has been all about getting my head down and making sure my whole focus has been on playing.
“I knew what we had in front of us with a lot of new players and young lads, so I’ve put all my time and effort into trying to nurture a few of them
“Hopefully now that’s paying off and I’ll just keep trying to help them. We’ve got young lads like Fletcher Rooney coming through and I think he would have been one-year-old when I made my debut in 2007!
“But it’s nice to see the young boys coming through and I think Fletcher is going to be outstanding for us for years to come.
“He’s got a good fullback to learn from in Tex Hoy and it’s nice to see them rubbing shoulders in training.”
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Watts is open-minded about his future beyond playing, but admitted he could stay at Wheldon Road in a new role.
He said: “There’s an opportunity there. The club have approached me and said they would like to keep me beyond my playing career, so I’ll just take as it comes.
“I’m in a bit of a transition period and I don’t really know what I want to do yet outside of playing. But if an opportunity does arise, and I’m enjoying it, then I’ll stay on and help the club as best I can.”
They saw off Catalans Dragons on Sunday, which followed wins over St Helens and London Broncos.
Watts explained: “We’ve ironed out a few issues we had at the start of the season – our togetherness has come on leaps and bounds.
“I think the lads who haven’t played a lot of Super League, the likes of Cain Robb, are playing longer minutes. I thought Horney (Liam Horne) was immense on Sunday against Catalans and everyone was having a dig.
“The lads are having a crack for each other and Linners is just adding his own little touch to it. It’s coming to fruition and in the last five weeks we’ve turned a really big corner, which is pleasing.
“I played with Scott Murrell and against Danny McGuire, our two assistant coaches, so I know what sort of an influence they can have on a playing group.
“They’re working tirelessly alongside Linners, so everybody here is having a crack and we’re slowly building.
“We’re picking up some good wins as well and I can’t remember the last time we won three on the bounce, so we’re really happy with that.