Dubbo Roolettes will make up part of the six-team Ferguson Cup competition

The Roolettes will take on Orange City on April 15, their first match since defeating Bathurst in the 2022 decider.

Co-coach Angus McDonald has had his side in training since late January and believes they are hungrier than ever.

"It's all kicking off a bit sooner than I thought actually," he said.

"It seems to have come up on us pretty quickly, we lost a few players but gained a few players.

"We've got a new side but a young side, the core is still there.

"We are looking forward to it."

Coaching again in 2023 alongside Kieran Smith, McDonald will likely be without star Alahna Ryan for round one, as the multi-code player recovers from a broken foot.

Country representatives Kim Fyfe, Janalee Conroy and Jean Littlewood all look likely to feature in the side again this season.

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But with younger players coming into the grade, the Roolettes have seemingly built a foundation for a side which could be successful for years to come.

After winning the 2022 competition, McDonald admitted the squad are already looking at ways they can improve and grow over the course of this season.

"We are hoping to expand on what the girls did last year," he said.

"We sort of pushed them pretty hard last year around learning different ways to play the game and I think their thirst this year is there.

"They are challenging themselves at training already and just being able to understand the game better.

"They are taking new ideas on how to play which is exciting for us as coaches for sure."

The official draw for the competition was released on Wednesday afternoon and the big talking point from the release was the inclusion of Cowra.

Over the past few seasons, Cowra has been the only Blowes Cup club without a women's team but in 2023 they will field a side, making the six-team competition even tougher.

The inclusion of the Eagles now means there will be no bye this season and the Ferguson Cup teams will be able to follow their Blowes Cup counterparts around the Central West to play.

Dubbo will face Orange City on April 15 before returning home to take on Orange Emus the following week.

In round three, Bathurst will host Dubbo in a grand final rematch, a fixture everyone will have an eye on, especially early in the season.

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