Salford Red Devils could welcome the return of key prop Jack Ormondroyd for their trip to league leaders Hull KR on Friday night.
The 32-year-old was in good form in the first third of the season but he suffered a rib injury which has sidelined him since May 10.
Speaking back in June, Salford coach Paul Rowley said it was likely that Ormondroyd would miss the remainder of the season: but it seems has made a full recovery earlier than expected which comes as a huge boost to the Red Devils.
The Birmingham-born prop has been named in Rowley’s 21-man squad for their trip to Hull KR on Friday evening.
“We’ll play Jack when we see fit,” Salford assistant coach Krisnan Inu said in his pre-match press conference. “He has put his hand up to obviously put himself in the mix and put himself up for selection.
“The player that he was before injury, he was in great form, and it’s about finding that form again now, especially now at the right time of the season when we need those players and big bodies leading into potential finals.”
Salford’s 21-man squad for this weekend’s trip to Hull KR is one of the strongest that Rowley has had the pleasure of naming all season: and it comes at the right time, with the Red Devils on track to make the end of season play-offs.
Inu added: “We’ve got some boys that have been out for a few weeks now, and from looking at the squad at the start of the season to looking at it now, and having those boys back, we’ve nearly full strength at the back end which is good for us and a good headache for us coaches to have for the games to come.”
Salford Red Devils assistant Krisnan Inu previews Hull KR clash
Inu knows the exactly what the Red Devils are up against when it comes to Friday night’s trip to Sewell Group Craven Park, with Willie Peters’ side sitting top of the table having won 10 out of their last 11 games.
“They are the teams you want to play against,” Inu said. “Playing top of the ladder at their home, they’ve got a good record there and we haven’t been at our best every time we’ve gone there so that’s something that we’ll take with us, hopefully leading into the finals.
“Every game is a final for us now and if we want to stay in the six, then we have to be on our toes and pushing for those wins, especially in these last four games.
“They are really electric and a good offloading type of team. You can’t take your foot off the gas with them, you’ve always got to be on and be eyes up and looking at who is coming next because that’s how they play.
“They go one after another so, defensively, we’ve got to hold our line and defend strong. Obviously they’ve got strike all over the park and on both edges, they’ve got a running fullback who has been killing it and then you’ve got the key men in the halves so they are a threat everywhere.”
Salford face Hull KR (A), Catalans Dragons (H), Hull FC (A) and Wigan Warriors (A) in their final four games of the regular campaign as they look to secure a place in the play-offs.