'We've got to get our head right and go again' - Derrell Olpherts insists Castleford Tigers will bounce back from Wigan Warriors defeat

Olpherts scored both Tigers’ tries in the 22-12 loss at Wigan Warriors two days ago which ended Castleford’s 100 per cent start to the season.

Olpherts admitted: “There were a couple of positives, but it’s still a loss.”

He said: “We had a couple of opportunities to win that game and we didn’t.

“We are all a bit gutted, we can play a lot better than that.

“You always want to beat the big teams, Wigan, St Helens and Leeds.

“Games like that are a grind and when you have opportunities to win, it hurts a bit more to lose.”

Tigers’ next two games are both against Salford Red Devils, away in the league next Friday and a Betfred Challenge Cup quarter-final eight days later at Leeds’ Emerald Headingley.

Olpherts stressed: “We are three from four [in Super League], we’ve got to get our head right and go again.

“We want to win them all, but it [the defeat two days ago] will give us more motivation to get a win, more desire.

“We have to be a bit tighter in D [defence] and I think we would have got Wigan.”

Olpherts and full-back Niall Evalds will both be facing their former club in the back-to-back clashes with Salford.

The pair’s combination with right-centre Peter Mata’utia is a proving a lethal attacking weapon for Tigers and Olpherts reckons his past and current teammate has been “awesome” in his first few games as a Castleford player.

“He is an outstanding full-back,” Olpherts said.

“He has fitted seamlessly into our team and he is an asset to our side.

“I thought he had a great game [at Wigan].

Olpherts also praised Jordan Turner who moved to stand-off after Gareth O’Brien and Danny Richardson were both ruled out.

Turner suffered a groin problem against Wigan, but Olpherts said: “He is having to play everywhere at the minute and he’s doing a right job for us. Credit to him, he is playing awesome as well.”

Tigers coach Daryl Powell is hopeful front-rower Grant Millington will be available for next week after failing a head injury assessment at Wigan.