Of the three teams to play on the hardwood this season – the division one men, division one women and youth league men – plenty of eyes will be on the latter, to see how they transition from division two into the division one competition.

After bringing back a historic banner to the Den in 2018, youth men’s coach Scott Balsar and his side will prepare for their gruelling season at a pre-season tournament to be held at the Den.

On February 23 and 24, the Tigers will host the Penrith Panthers, Bankstown Bruins and local rivals Illawarra Hawks, in a two day tournament – which will see six games played across Saturday and Sunday.

Following this four-team challenge, Balsar’s troops will have just a fortnight before their season tips-off on Saturday, March 9 against the Newcastle Hunters in Newcastle.

This is the first of four straight games on the road, including matches against the Hills Hornets (March 16), Maitland Mustangs (March 23) and Blacktown Storm (March 24).

The team, which features Riley O’Shannessy and Gavin Costain who are currently training with the Illawarra Hawks NBL side, will finally play in front of their home fans on Saturday, March 30 against the Bankstown Bruins.

The team then hit the road once again, travelling up the Princes Highway to take on the Illawarra Hawks – the side the defeated in last year’s grand final.

The black and gold will then return home for two matches, against Penrith on April 13 and Sutherland on April 27, before they have the bye.

A Sydney double-header awaits the side after their bye, facing Manly-Warringah and Sydney within the space of 24 hours on May 11 and 12.

But Balsar’s men then have a five-game homestand, which will either make or break their season.

From May 18 to June 22, Shoalhaven will welcome Central Coast, Maitland, Newcastle, Hills and Blacktown to the Den.

Following their run of home games, the Tigers will once again face a double header, this time at Bankstown and Central Coast on June 29 and 30.

Balsar and his troops will then return home for one game against Illawarra on July 6 before taking on both Penrith (July 13) and Sutherland (July 20) on the road in successive weeks.

The cubs will end their regular season with two home games against Sydney and Manly-Warringah on July 27 and August 3 respectively.

The draw for both the division one men’s and women’s teams is expected to be released in the coming weeks.