Look who's back . . . Tyson, 'Lippy' return

George Tyson.

SCOTT Naylor has confirmed that George Tyson and Richard Lepori will both be in the mix when he picks his Oldham side to face Dewsbury Rams at Bower Fold on Sunday (3pm).

Neither centre Tyson nor full-back or winger Lepori has played a Kingstone Press Championship game this season and the two crowd-pleasers are each said to be 'busting a gut' to sample a taste of the action.

Tyson (23) has cleared a four-match ban - punishment for striking a Rochdale player at the end of the pre-season Law Cup derby.

It put a damper on his return to Roughyeds after a season as a full-time pro at Sheffield Eagles, but the club stood by him while not condoning the offence that earned him a red card and the subsequent ban after a guilty plea.

LAY-OFF

Chairman Chris Hamilton went with him to the disciplinary hearing in Leeds and, after the ban was announced, head coach Naylor tipped his blond bombshell to be better than ever after his enforced lay-off.

Naylor back then said: "Tyson's a great lad and a great player.

"On his day he's unplayable. And when he's back I'll guarantee he'll still be one of our best players."

Lepori (25), who helped Italy to reach the World Cup finals which will be staged in Australia and New Zealand later this year, left Roughyeds at the end of last season to take a break from the game.

Naylor told him at the time: "You'll always be welcomed back."

After five months away, during which time he started lecturing in the sociology of sport at Tameside College, he returned to the club following a spell in rugby union with Sedgley Tigers.

He's spent the last month building up his fitness for Championship rugby league and is now said to be ready to turn out again.

Naylor said: "George and 'Lippy' will both be available and most of the squad will be fit and ready to go as well so I'll have some hard decisions to make."