Top Aussie stars Josh Perry and Chris Flannery head up a quality Saints squad for what will be Oldham’s only home friendly ahead of the Northern Rail Cup.

Ex-Widnes youngsters Tom Rigby and Jack Reid will both figure in the rearranged fixture this weekend (3pm) following last Sunday’s postponement because of a waterlogged pitch.

Oldham-born Miles Greenwood, one of the best and most experienced full-backs outside Super League, has joined the club on a season-long contract after spending the last four years with Championship side Halifax.

Coach Tony Benson plans to bring in the new year by showcasing all of his new players apart from the latest recruit, Chris Murphy.

The match, on February 5 (3pm), is followed seven days later by another meeting between the two sides.

Coach Tony Benson will take his troops back to an army camp for another weekend of intense tough physical training. Benson’s brigade enjoyed the experience so much last year they will return for more square-bashing in January.

Nigel Marland is bidding to set up a fund to be exclusively used to bring players to the club’s Whitebank Stadium during the coming season.

Chris Murphy (22), a former Warrington Wolves youngster, has chosen Oldham ahead of the North Wales, Rochdale and Swinton Lions, all of whom were thought to be looking at him.

His signing from Whitehaven shortly before the start of the 1959/60 season hit the rugby league headlines because Oldham paid a transfer fee of £9,000 which was then a world record for a forward.

Saturday morning conditioning sessions have been dubbed a real killer by chairman, Chris Hamilton.

The 26-year-old former Leigh, Workington, Blackpool and Swinton scrum-half joined Roughyeds on loan from Swinton last April and finished the season as the club’s top points scorer with 146 from 63 goals and five tries in 14 appearances.

They intend to hold meetings and fundraising events at venues throughout the town rather than stage all their activities at the club’s Whitebank ground in Limehurst Village.

More than 30 Championship, Championship One and Northern Rail Cup games will go out live in the coming season, plus four additional matches, details of which will be announced in the new year.

Tony Benson's men are the only Championship One side to be paired with Featherstone in the pool stages - a big ask given that Rovers probably possess the best-equipped squad outside Super League.

As a former scrum-half himself, Crompton likes what he sees in Dallimore who is already tipped for big things by club chairman Chris Hamilton.

Costin will combine his new role with his existing one as coach of the club’s under-18s Extended Scholarship squad.

Paul Ashton, Hough’s assistant in the under-23s’ trophy-winning 2011 campaign, succeeds his former boss to become new coach of the second team on a one-year contract.

The Kenyan winger missed most of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon but has put pen to paper on a deal for 2012.

Onyango is expected to stay, but right now, his rehabilitation continues from a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained midway through last season.

In the RFL’s revamp of the sport beneath Super League, a 10-club Championship One in 2013 will probably be comprised of development clubs from far and wide plus two established teams from rugby league’s heartland.

He died at Dr Kershaw's Hospice last Saturday after a four-year battle against cancer. He was 59.

Benson called a team meeting earlier this week in readiness for the new campaign and outlined his intentions and goals.

The 27-year-old put pen to paper on a new deal, joining the likes of Danny Heaton, Jason Boults, Dave Ellison and Luke Stenchion.

Benson is greatly encouraged to see a rich crop of talented youngsters coming to the fore.

Chairman Chris Hamilton has been busy on the recruitment front and has made it perfectly clear the Roughyeds will be a force up front for their opponents.

Both lads have made their mark for the reserves in 2011 and will step up to the senior squad next year.

Chris Hamilton, the Roughyeds chairman is delighted to have landed Heaton, an experienced prop who will add size and mobility to the Oldham pack.

Describing his players’ commitment as ‘awesome,’ he was delighted by an outstanding performance to beat league leaders Widnes for the third time in a row.

John Hough’s side hosts the Vikings at Whitebank on Sunday in the Reserves Under-23s Championship Grand Final (3pm).

The youngster, who has been earning rave reviews at full-back this term, is struggling to be fit for the trip to Cumbria due to an ankle injury.

‘Roughyeds and Kangaroos’ – to be held at St Annes RLFC, Higginshaw Road, Oldham – takes place on November 11, 100 years to the day since Oldham defeated a touring Australian side.

Following news that Oldham Athletic had struck a deal with Oldham Council to remain at a redeveloped Boundary Park, rumours quickly emerged that the Roughyeds may move back there after 12 months at their new home.

While the visitors rallied late on, reducing Oldham’s 30-point lead to eight points, Tony Benson’s side saw proceedings out for a sixth victory in their last eight games.

The Roughyeds were superb in toppling Hornets 38-16 at Spotland.

Jamie Dallimore and Danny Langtree have both signed pro deals which run to November 30, 2012.

After a hard-fought first half ended with Oldham two points to the good, they were in complete control in the second half.

The decision to put back the forum to a later date follows correspondence between club chairman Chris Hamilton and Oldham Council leader, Cllr Jim McMahon, who has confirmed that he will meet with the Roughyeds chairman in the near future.

With Luke Stenchion’s back problem rendering him unavailable, it forced Oldham head coach Tony Benson into a late change with Andy Isherwood taking over in the front row.

The Roughyeds have been given a shot in the arm thanks to a fine win over Keighley on Sunday and the plan now is to maintain top form ahead of the play-offs.

He will be available for the derby clash with Rochdale at Spotland on Sunday, August 14, but after that he will bid farewell to the Roughyeds, whom he joined from Keighley midway through the 2008 season.

Matches between these two clubs are normally quite spicy and tackling was fierce from both packs.

Having had last weekend off because of the Northern Rail Cup final, the Roughyeds are back at the Whitebank as the club targets victory in each of their five remaining league games.

Following a pre-match build-up to forget, Tony Benson’s side had looked dead and buried when they trailed 30-12 during the second half.

They arrived last month, figuring in the club’s recent games with Gateshead, Whitehaven and London Skolars.

Ellison severely dislocating an elbow in the first half of Oldham’s 40-20 victory, their third win in a row and took some of the gloss off the celebrations.

The Oldham triumph also inflicted the season’s first defeat on leaders Widnes, who led for most of the game but failed to shake off a never-say-die performance from the resilient visitors.

The Cumbrians came to town boasting a league-leading eight-match unbeaten run — the longest in the pro game — but seven Oldham tries to Whitehaven’s four, in addition to 28 unanswered points, gave the hosts a deserved win.

Mr Hamilton knows the Roughyeds have been riding a storm for most of the year but he sees plenty of light at the end of the tunnel ahead of Sunday’s home game with Whitehaven.

The Roughyeds teenagers recorded a 40-0 win in which Tom Shaw scored two tries and six goals for 20 points.

Mark Brocklehurst led the way with a hat-trick on a day when Tony Benson’s side hopefully stated their intent for a successful run to the end of the season.

The club has negotiated a second extension of the player’s loan which will take in Sunday’s trip to Gateshead, the home game against Whitehaven (July 3) and the trip to London Skolars (July 9).

In a reshaped side Mark McCully made his debut at left centre and with Neil Roden out injured Jamie Dallimore came in for his league debut at half-back.

Dallimore, who played for the Wigan St Cuthbert’s amateur club, has been shining for the Roughyeds reserve team.

Coach Tony Benson and his players held an inquest into that defeat at training on Tuesday, after which the focus turned to winning at home this weekend.

In all honesty, it was arguably Oldham’s worst displkay of the season and a third consecutive defeat to boot.

Former Rochdale centre Mark McCully and ex-Swinton prop Bruce Johnson have joined on contracts until November.

However, it was only a lack of clinical finishing at the end that robbed them of a well deserved three points.

Swinton were trounced 112-0 by Challenge Cup holders Warrington Wolves last weekend and will be looking to bounce back.