Duo set for Salford debut in clash with Wakefield

THERE could be Betfred Super League debuts for Derrell Olpherts and Ben Nakubuwai tonight as both are included in Salford’s squad for the trip to Wakefield.

Young prop Nakubuwai caught the eye as part of the Fiji team that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup and featured in the NRL for Gold Coast Titans last season.

Outside back Olpherts was recruited from Newcastle Thunder, but his career path has been anything but conventional. After being released by Dewsbury in 2012, the 26-year-old returned to the amateur game with Shaw Cross Sharks, impressing sufficiently to earn a move to League 1 side Hemel Stags before moving to the north east.

His arrival was confirmed mid-way through last year, but Olpherts is likely to feature more in the first-team than he may have anticipated so early into his Salford career following the longterm injury suffered by Manu Vatuvei. And coach Ian Watson has indicated he will have no problem throwing the player into the action.

“Derrell’s 26, he’s not a young lad, but he’s got talent,” said Watson. “In the two [pre-season] games he’s played for us, he’s looked like he’s a Super League player.

“He’s worked really hard to get back to where he needs to be. He’s got to keep investing in that.

“He’s got to where he wants to be - it’s now going to be about the choices he makes on the back of that and how hard he works.”

There was late disruption to the Salford line-up last week with Mark Flanagan missing out with a bug and Logan Tomkins withdrawing with a minor injury.

Tomkins has recovered sufficiently to be included for the trip to take on Trinity, but co-captain Flanagan again misses out.

While the Red Devils were falling to defeat against Wigan, Wakefield kicked off their campaign with a comfortable 28-6 win over newly-promoted Hull KR.