Though it was evident the respective coaches of the Gerringong Lions and Thirroul Butchers eyes were firmly on the prize of winning their highly anticipated showdown at Michael Cronin Oval this Saturday.

Local fans have been calling for a 'Super Bowl' blockbuster between the reigning Illawarra League and Group Seven premiers for years.

On Tuesday Stewart and Costello let it be known their respective teams were keen to create history and become the first club to lift the Trevor Farmer/Ian Neil Trophy in front of their adoring fans.

The Lions have been a perennial powerhouse in the booming South Coast competition under Stewart's leadership, with the coach vowing Gerringong would give 'big brother' Thirroul a run for its money.

"They've always thought of themselves as big brother so it will be good to go out there and show them just how competitive we are in Group Seven," Stewart said.

"It certainly won't be our grand final side, we've had a lot of players go on to representative honours, which is great. There's a lot in Jersey Flegg and a couple even higher up.

"This presents an opportunity for the kids that are coming though, it will be good for them to match themselves and see where they're at as well.'

Stewart praised the initiative, saying Illawarra and Group Seven fans alike couldn't wait for the game to be played.

"We've certainly got plenty of people talking. There's been a hell of a lot of interest from both Illawarra and Group Seven people," he said.

"I've had some people from Illawarra ringing up making sure that we actually win. They're not big Thirroul fans and there's probably people down here that want to see Thirroul knock us off.

"I don't know whether it's people are divided along the group lines or they're divided along who they don't really like.

"I'm not sure but I know there's been plenty of interest. Everyone wants to know what side we're putting out on the park.

"It's exciting. Hopefully it gets the crowd and the respect and it's something that builds over the next few years.

"I expect it will be a real spectacle. I know Thirroul tends to take the biggest crowds in the Illawarra and we like to think we've got the biggest crowds in Group Seven, so it should be an interesting afternoon."

This view was shared by Stewart's counterpart Costello, who guided Thirroul to a fairy tale run from fourth place to Illawarra League premiers last season.

"It's a great initiative. It gives each club that's starting their season a bit of purpose and to steer their premiership defences off to a good start," Costello said.

"The value for us is we're playing at a different venue and we're playing against different oppositions.

"It's a really great initiative and we're really happy to be involved."

Butchers moving forward:

Like the Lions, the Butchers won't be anywhere near full-strength on Saturday but Costello conceded winning the inaugural Inter Club Cup would be a feather in Thirroul's cap.

"It would be nice to win but you got to keep in the back of your mind it's still a trial and it's everyone's first game of the season.

"We're not putting a heap of importance on it but every time we wear those Butcher's colours, we're representing our community and our sponsors, so we'll be looking to put our best foot forward on Saturday for sure."

It will be a different Butchers squad to last season but in good news new signing Tyrell Fuimaono will play his first game for the club on Saturday.

"We've probably lost six or seven of our grand final team but we've been able to keep a lot of our other squad members," Costello said.

"Both our halves and our hooker remains unchanged, as do our wingers. We've also got a lot of returning guys through the middle with Kaleb Hocking, Marcus Moore, Ammon Cairney and those guys.

"We've been able to pick up a couple of good signings as well that's helped sort of offset some of those guys we've lost.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Tyrell Fuimaono play his first game for the club on Saturday but unfortunately Toby Huxley, who came to us this year, he's out injured at the moment, so we won't see him."

Inter Club Cup:

The March 16 clash has been roundly applauded since being locked into the preseason calendar, and fans - particularly of the Butchers variety - will have added incentive to head down the highway with Under 18s and Reserve Grade clashes to precede the top-grade fixture.

With both clubs boasting some of the largest - and certainly rowdiest - Old Boys' networks, it makes for a huge day at Michael Cronin Oval.

Group Seven general manager Ashton Sims, a proud Gerringong product, said the concept was one that simply had to be wrenched out of the too-hard basket.

This view was shared by newly appointed Illawarra Rugby League head of football Brent Pigram.

"It's pretty exciting to see a game like this come to fruition," he said.

"This is probably a stepping stone in the right direction for rugby league and the game across the region.

"From my point of view it's all about having that competitive nature on the field and then coming back after the game and really enjoying the company of each other.

"From Illawarra Rugby League, obviously you want to see the Butchers get up over them, and just have that good contest all round. But it's exciting to see and hear about the buy-in from the town down here in Gerringong as well. Hopefully it is a massive crowd here just cheering on the game."