BARROW Raiders have announced that forward Carl Forster has signed a new two-year deal with the club.

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’ strong 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 team, will remain at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium until the end of the 2024 season. 

On his decision to stay, Carl 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.”