Players from country areas throughout NSW will take to the field at Olympic Park with only four of the eight team competing able to move on.

The home team is expected to have strong crowd support with the Central Hunter Power being the defending champions.

The team is made up of players from Group 21 and the Central Coast and includes four local talents; two coming from Muswellbrook and two from Aberdeen.

Central Hunter Power coach Garry Jones is also based in Muswellbrook and said he rated the team highly to defend their title.

“We are the defending champions and we still have five players from that team. We were reasonably lucky that last year it was a young side and there a still a few this year,” he said.

“I think we have as good a shot as any.”

In the lead up to the event the team usually takes on the Newcastle side in a trial game but rain stopped this occurring. This is not expected to have any major impact when it comes to their first match tomorrow as the players have had four training sessions together.

The first match for the Central Hunter Power will take place at 2.15pm tomorrow when they take on the Northern Thunderbolts.

They will play again on Sunday regardless of Saturday’s result but the opposition and time will depend on the Saturday matches.

If they are successful on the weekend they will more one step to the final which will be held in Port Macquarie on May 7.