On 10 June 2021, Qareqare was given a late call up into the Castleford Tigers side to face Hull FC in the Super League, having been expected to play for the under-19s that weekend.[6][7] He received a phone call from head coach Daryl Powell while in maths class at school, and started on the left wing to make his Super League debut for Castleford.[7][8] Inside the first minute, he rounded fullback Jake Connor to score a try with his first touch of the ball.[9][10] This was nominated for Super League Try of the Month,[11] and was later voted Castleford's Try of the Year despite strong competition.[12] He went on to make 2 further appearances in 2021, featuring off the bench against Wakefield and starting at fullback in a youthful side against Salford.[13][14]
Qareqare signed a two-year contract extension with Castleford in April 2022.[15][16] In his first start of the 2022 season on 22 April, he once again scored a long-range try in the first minute with his first touch of the ball, beating four St Helens defenders on the touchline.[17] This score went on to be voted Super League Try of the Month, and in December was voted Super League Try of the Season.[18][19][20] On 15 May, he scored two tries in Castleford's victory over Hull Kingston Rovers.[21] The following week, Qareqare scored his second consecutive brace against Salford, with his "pace and skill in tight situations evidenced by his sublime finishes".[22] He finished the season with 7 tries in 8 appearances.[1]
For the 2023 season, Qareqare switched from squad number 33 to 31.[23] At the 2023 Magic Weekend, he scored the late winning try for Castleford in their 26-24 victory against the Leeds Rhinos.[24][25] He scored again in the two following rounds against Salford and Warrington.[26][27] In round 25, Qareqare scored two tries for Castleford in their 29-12 victory over Hull FC.[28][29] The second of these, a length-of-the-field interception from a Hull scrum play, went on to be voted Castleford's Try of the Season.[30]
In 2024, Qareqare started in the opening rounds but suffered an ankle injury on 25 February, expected to keep him out for two months.[31][32] On 17 May, Castleford announced that Qareqare had signed a further two-year contract extension.[33][34]
Whitehaven (loan)
On 22 July 2022, Qareqare joined Whitehaven in the Championship on loan, alongside teammate Cain Robb.[35][36] However, the following week, they were both recalled to Castleford without having made an appearance, as the Tigers were unable to name a full 21-man squad due to mounting injury issues.[37]
Midlands Hurricanes (dual registration)
Qareqare made 2 appearances for the Midlands Hurricanes in the RFL League 1 in 2023, through their dual registration agreement with Castleford.[1]
Bradford Bulls (loan)
On 20 April 2023, it was announced that Qareqare had joined the Bradford Bulls in the Championship on an initial 2-week loan deal, continuing on a rolling basis.[38] Tigers head coach Andy Last explained the move; "Jason is a player with huge potential and we want to create a pathway for him. Jason needs to work on some aspects of his game and getting some consistent rugby at Bradford will stretch him a little bit more than the reserves."[39] In June, having made 2 appearances, he was recalled to Castleford.[40]
Representative career
Qareqare represented Yorkshire in their Academy Origin victory against Lancashire on 4 August 2021. He played as a winger and scored the opening try of the game in the second minute.[41] He was named in the Yorkshire squad for the first match of the 2022 Academy Origin series, but did not take part due to Super League commitments.[42][43]
In May 2022, Qareqare was named in Fiji's initial 50-man squad in the build up towards the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[44] In September 2022, he was included in the extended 33-man training squad.[45] On 7 October 2022, Qareqare played on the wing for Fiji against England in their warm-up game at the AJ Bell Stadium,[46][47] although missed out on a final selection in Fiji's 24-man tournament squad.[48][49]
