Whitehaven coach Carl Forster will delay choosing his 17 players to face Oldham on Sunday.

Forster wants to give as long as possible to assess the fitness of key players ahead of the season’s opener.

Jessie Joe Parker only arrived back in Whitehaven on Thursday while compatriot Dion Aiye is recovering from a bout of pneumonia.

In addition former Workington Town centre Jason Mossop has missed all the pre-season games with a kidney problem.

The two definite non-starters are Danny Green (broken bone in foot) and Stuart Howarth (recovering from elbow surgery).

Oldham have one or two injury issues but have signed

centre Zack McComb (22), a former Huddersfield Giants under-19s player. He was selected in the England Universities' 24-man squad for last year's Student World Cup in Australia.

A third-year sports coaching student at Leeds Beckett University, McComb joined Roughyeds for pre-season training last November and enjoyed two successful trials in pre-season games against Barrow Raiders and Keighley Cougars.

Last season he was playing in the National Conference Premier Division with table-toppers Siddal who went on to lose the grand final with Thatto Heath.

His one-year contract was completed in time for McComb to be available for selection in the Oldham squad to open the new season at Whitehaven.

McComb had five years with Huddersfield before moving to Batley. During his eight months with the Bulldogs he had two games on dual-reg with Oxford and four on loan with Gloucester All Golds.

After several seasons playing in traditional red and white hoops, Oldham will be in a more modern design at the Recreation Ground.

With ten new signings, new sponsors, different kit suppliers, new dual-registration partners in Salford Red Devils and a return to the newly-refurbished and renamed Vestacare Stadium, there's a fresh look about Roughyeds who have been installed as second favourites for the title.