THIRTY years ago, a career-first hat-trick by one player settled the Super League round one meeting between Bradford Bulls and Castleford Tigers.
On that occasion, it was Australian import Jeremy Donougher whose treble sealed a 30-18 victory for the Bulls at Odsal.
Fast forward three decades to the anniversary meeting between the sides at Castleford’s OneBore Stadium in round six and it was Jason Qareqare crossing the whitewash three times to help the hosts to a 40-28 triumph.
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Second row Donougher was not, unsurprisingly, a player noted for his try-scoring exploits and that proved to be the only three-try haul of his professional career.
Yet for winger Qareqare, who burst onto the scene five years ago with a debut try aged 17 but has had a stop-start career since, it is hopefully the first of many.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Qareqare, who endured an injury-disrupted 2025 campaign, told Sky Sports. “It’s good to get a few and a run of games.
“It’s immense. Last year wasn’t the best for me, obviously, with two hamstring tears.
“But I feel like I’m really playing my best footy this year, so hopefully I can build on it.”
Qareqare’s hat-trick came on the back of him making three clean breaks and busting two tackles, along with carrying for 149 metres with an average game of 11 metres per carry, per Super League’s match statistics.
He was not the only tormentor of Bradford on Castleford’s left edge on Thursday, with centre and player-of-the-match Krystian Mapapalangi hailing the combination of him, his winger, standoff Daejarn Asi and second row George Hirst.
“We’re doing a good combination with me and Qare and Daejarn and George Hirst,” Mapapalangi, who provided three try assists, told Sky Sports.
“I think we’re forming a really good combination as you can see by the way we’re playing.
“Big credit to Daejarn, he’s in the middle there doing defence for us then doing passes for us, and then Qare is finishing in the corner.”
Qareqare now has five tries to his name so far this season and is well on course to eclipse his previous best of seven in eight appearances in 2022.
But the Fiji international is taking nothing for granted as Cas go hunting back-to-back wins at home to rivals Wakefield Trinity on Easter Sunday.
“Rome wasn’t built overnight, so we’re just building that connection,” Qareqare said.
“But I think it’s coming to fruition now – so it’s really, really positive.”
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