BIG READ: Derrell talks about drive

This feature is taken from the March edition of Castleford Tigers' official monthly magazine ROAR.

Derrell Olpherts took the long way round to achieving his Super League dream, but now at 30-years-old and reflecting on his career so far, it’s probably the way he would have wanted it. Simply put he wants to prove people wrong and has done throughout his rugby league journey.

It seems only two minutes ago that Derrell Olpherts was confirmed to be joining Cas from the 2020 season, in that time a lot has happened both globally and at Wheldon Road, but one thing that has remained the same is D’s desire to keep doing more and developing himself as a rugby league player.

“Time flies! It feels like I’ve only just come but also that I’ve been here for years as well,” Olpherts said to ROAR.

“I think I’ve learnt and developed to being more of a professional player and being coachable, this is my third Super League coach with Radders (Lee Radford) and sixth year being full time. I think it’s the willingness to learn and be better at my craft. Doing everything I can on and off the field, all those extras to make sure I get a starting spot week in and week out and aim to play my best. That’s what I’ve learnt at Cas, you have to put in that extra little bit of effort to earn a place in the team.”

Attending supporters in the stands will have got a snapshot of this when Olpherts works just that little bit longer on drills such as catching passes and kicks.

“For me as a winger, catching, dummy half passing, hand-eye coordination and anything which gives me an extra step or makes me a little bit better I will do it every week, consistently I have been doing that for a number of years now.

“It’s a big thing in the backfield now, you don’t want to make any errors because the forwards are doing all the hard work and graft in the middle, the last thing they want is us dropping the ball or a catch and having to do another set in a dangerous position. I do extra passing and catching, anything that I know is going to help me and the team.”

Derrell is valued highly in the squad not only for the scores he gets on the edge of the field, but his post-contact metres and early drives in the tackle count. It’s work that does not get put on the highlight reels but is hugely important to the flow of the game.

“I pride myself on putting effort in to get us on the front foot, I’m a big winger as wingers go which should make me hard to handle but my goal is in those early phases to try and get a quick play of the ball or get us up-field as far as possible and off our backline.

“That’s where the game has gone now, your outside backs now are taking those first tackles to give forwards a little rest, but also get the game quicker and up the field hopefully faster.

“A lot of people don’t see the stuff that I do, some maybe think that it’s just about scoring the tries as the main thing, but my job is to get the game fast. That’s the asset I bring to the game, the metres I make in yardage, and how quick I can play the ball. I can score tries but it’s not solely about that, it’s also about my work ethic, I know it means a lot to the team. That’s all that matters to me.”

It’s a great mindset for Olpherts to have, especially given that now he is what you might consider as an ‘experienced’ player. Let’s not forget, he only became a full-time player in 2018 when he moved to Salford.

In January, Derrell celebrated his 30th birthday with his family and friends, with a special trip planned in the off-season with his partner to go along the American Route 66! Following the milestone birthday, it is worth recapping just how the former Westgate Redoubt player came to be a Super League star.

“I was playing at Shaw Cross Sharks and I was thinking of going to Australia and playing some lower grade stuff and experiencing a new country, but a mate of mine said ‘Why don’t you go play for Hemel? They’re in League One and need a full-back’. I wasn’t sure about going down London way, but they said they would give me work and somewhere to stay. I ended up thinking ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ and went down to Hemel.

“Whilst it’s not the best facilities, the people down there are 10 out of 10, and I still keep in touch with a few of them now. It just got me enjoying my rugby more in the professional game and knowing I could still do this. There were players from Super League and Championship on loan at the teams we were facing, and I thought if I push myself a bit further I could beat them and that’s how Newcastle happened.

“I did two years up there and I knew I could definitely play rugby league at the top level; I just needed the team to take a punt on me. We played Toronto on TV and I had a good game, next thing I know my agent let me know there were three Super League clubs wanting to sign me.”

The destination was Salford Red Devils for Olpherts, but why did he choose them? The current Wakefield Head Coach as a local neighbour helped D make up his mind.

“Willie Poching was in Lupset where I’m from and he was the assistant coach at Salford at the time, he called me and declared they were serious about their offer under Ian Watson. Matty Barron was playing at Newcastle with me at the time and knew Watson really well, and because I never missed training, he spoke highly of me to Ian too.

“I knew Poching as a person wasn’t going to steer me wrong, I valued his opinion, being from the same area as me and I knew his kids, so I thought I’ll go there and give it a go. Got a two-year deal, not expecting too much but that first year I played a fair bit and got my foot in the door. I thought if I get my head down and learn what I need to, I could become a good Super League winger.”

And he did just that. So much so he very quickly got on the radar of more Super League clubs, including the Tigers.

“I’ve always wanted to be back in Yorkshire, didn’t want to go across the M62 every day because sometimes it’s not bad but other days it can take three hours to just go three miles. At the back end of the second Salford year, I knew Cas wanted me and they are a top team – why wouldn’t I want to sign there?”

Immediately Olpherts knew there was an ambition to succeed at Wheldon Road across the club, and with D’s passion to be at his best, he felt very much at home and is proud of what he’s done so far as a full-time player.

“When I came, I did feel it and still do, that hunger for trophies. I’ve only been full time just over four years but got to a Challenge Cup final, that’s an achievement for sure but it’s unfortunate we didn’t go and win it. If people had looked back at me four years earlier though, there’s no way they would be saying I’d be in a Cup final. Everyone here at Cas though, that’s what we are striving to do and bring back a major trophy.”

Under Lee Radford Derrell has moved to the left wing which has seen him start the season well, with three tries from the opening two matches. Given the pedigree of Radford, Olpherts knows he is continuing to add elements to his game.

“It’s been refreshing, just getting to learn more rugby from a man who’s done almost everything in the game – he’s coached in big games, he played for years and won honours. It’s all about adding another string to my bow, he likes attacking kicks and that adds a level to my game. Both him and Lasty (Andy Last) I’m learning off, still more to do.”

It has been a tough start to the 2022 season, but Olpherts reaffirms that the squad are working incredibly hard and will do so all season long.

“This team had a lot of changes made, and a lot of players coming in, and we only get maybe eight weeks to try and gel everything together after a lot of change. I don’t think we are way off, it’s just some silly things wrong at the minute, adjusting to the new rules as is every team, we’re all getting players sent off at the moment. We are still developing as a team and I know we’ll come good, we have too many stars and world class players in our team to not be.

“It is not because of a lack of effort or desire, it’s just exaction at the minute, we’re not getting the results we want but the tide will turn – it always does. No one lifts a trophy in the first month, and no one wins the league then either, some can start like a house on fire but end up on the bottom end of the table near the end of the season. You never know what could happen, do not be writing us off yet, no one should be writing us off at all.”