Salford Red Devils head coach Ian Watson has confirmed that free agent Gene Ormsby has been training with the club.
The former Huddersfield Giants winger was released by the club at the start of the year, and could be on his way to the AJ Bell Stadium on a permanent deal.
With Manu Vatuvei out for the season, Salford are desperate for cover out wide, however is Ormsby the man for the job?
Watson was full of praise for the 25-year-old after the club’s victory over Hull KR on Friday night.
“He came in a couple of weeks ago now, he’s been first class to be fair since he’s come in, his attitudes been really good.,” he commented.
“We just wanted to have a little look at Gene because we are short in the outside backs as well.
“We will see how the trial goes at first, but at the moment he’s doing all he can; he’s training really well.
“There were a couple of players who gave him really big wraps to be fair from Huddersfield, just saying how he’s really knuckled down.”
Ormsby started out his career at Warrington Wolves, as he spent a year on dual registration with Swinton Lions.
He made his Super League debut for the Wolves in the 2014 season when he scored 13 times in 20 appearances.
A further 17 outings in primrose and blue saw a return of 11 more tries, as he showed an impressive strike rate.
Three of those scores were against his potential new club, as he rounded off a hat-trick against Salford with an incredible acrobatic finish.
It looked like Ormsby would carve out a successful career at the Wolves, however he was shipped out on loan to Huddersfield after scoring five times in as many appearances for his parent club.
While at the Giants in 2016 he scored six more tries in seven games, showing that he knew his way to the try line.
That form led to a permanent move to the John Smith’s Stadium, although four appearances are all he managed. Along with that he made an appearance for Oldham against Bradford Bulls, and failed to score in 2017.
After an impressive start to life in the top flight, it’s unclear why it didn’t work out for the winger but the Red Devils could give him a lifeline to rejuvenate his career.
Niall Evalds is in great form on one wing for Salford, scoring in each of their three fixtures in 2018. Meanwhile, Jake Bibby found the try line in their victory of the Robins, and won’t give up his starting spot without a fight either.
It may look like a gamble for Watson to take Ormsby given his lack of playing time over the past two years, yet if he can get him back to his prolific self it could be an astute bit of business.
His size is a massive advantage, as he can compete well in the air and is tough to stop from close range.
Salford fans know all about his ability to find the line in spectacular fashion, and they will be looking forward to the thought of seeing him do just that in a Red Devils shirt, instead of against them.
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GENE ORMSBY STATS
Games: 74 Tries: 37
Swinton Lions (2013-14): 19 appearances, 2 tries
Warrington Wolves (2014-16): 42 appearances, 29 tries
North Wales Crusaders (on loan in 2015): 2 appearances, no tries
Huddersfield Giants (on loan in 2016): 7 appearances, 6 tries
Huddersfield Giants (2017-18): 4 appearances, no tries
https://nothingbutleague.com/2018/02/24/super-league-match-report-3/
