Magic Weekend: Olpherts was Thunder Struck

Thunder struck - North East the perfect location for Dacia Magic Weekend according to Tigers flyer

CASTLEFORD winger Derrell Olpherts knows better than most the rugby league potential that lies in Newcastle.

Wakefield-born Olpherts spent two seasons at Thunder in 2016 and 2017, where his power-packed performances and try scoring ability earned a Super League move to Salford.

The 29-year-old certainly hasn’t forgotten his time on the Toon, and is relishing the prospect of returning to the North East with the Tigers.

“I loved my time and rugby up in Newcastle,?? Olpherts said.

“I ended up moving to the area for two years and I haven’t got a bad word to say about the club. It was really well run, they really looked after me and they’re growing year by year.

“They’re in the Championship at the moment and I’m sure they’ve got future aspirations to be in Super League. They’ve definitely got the facilities there - they’re better than most Super League clubs - and all the memories I have from my time at Thunder are good ones.

“Before I moved up to Super League I’d always be at Magic Weekend myself in the crowd, and having now played in one myself, I know how much they love their rugby up there.

“It’s a great venue to have it at, and playing against Salford is good for me, there will still be a few old faces that I know.??

Olpherts has been a key member of a Castleford side that has responded superbly to its Betfred Challenge Cup final heartache to re-ignite their Play-Offs push.

The winger explained: “We had a big Covid outbreak at the club after the final and I think that got us re-settled and allowed us to refocus all our energy back on the league.

“We didn’t want to put all of our focus on the cup final but I think it might have gone that way.

“Now that’s out of the way we can focus on getting our league form back on track and try and get into that top six.??

The added dimension to Castleford’s 2021 campaign is the imminent departure of coach Daryl Powell and several popular players.

But while Olpherts wants to send all of them out as winners, he insists it is not the main focus of the Tigers squad at present.

He added: “We have spoken about it now and again, about wanting to send everyone that’s leaving on a high.

“But teams change every year, you never generally get the same group of players, and we all just want to do our best for this team now.

“We’re not looking too far ahead to next year, we want to knuckle down and get something out of this season.

“It was great to get to the Challenge Cup final and I thought we were unlucky not to get the win.

“Our league form wasn’t the best at times due to Covid and injuries, but we’ve got on a little roll now and the aim is to get to the Grand Final.??

This is an extract from the Dacia Magic Weekend programme which is available for £5 on events days and via Curtis Sports website here.

Tickets for Dacia Magic Weekend are still available priced from £25 for adults and £12.50 for Juniors. For more information and to book click here.