The defending premiers, who defeated RSL Colts in last year's Megahit grand final, will face off with a rejuvenated Macquarie side coming fresh off of a first round win in the RSL-Whitney Cup.

That match-up will form the second part of a double-header night of cricket, with CYMS meeting the Castlereagh Hornets earlier in the evening at Victoria Park.

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Newtown club veteran and all-rounder Steve Skinner says Macquarie are a hard team to anticipate and his side will have to be careful to avoid a first round loss.

"They're funny in the Twenty20 format, sometimes they're really strong and sometimes their senior blokes miss out because of other commitments, so it's always hard to know what to expect from them in the Megahit," Skinner said.

Skinner did credit the club's aggressive batting style for making Macquarie a threat in the shortened format, but says it's something that his side shares, and will also be able to use.

"They've got a couple of really good, aggressive batsman as well, like us."

Those experienced, hard-hitting batsman are who Skinner expects to be the difference between a win and a loss, although he's confident that Newtown is still in winning form, despite a number of less experienced players filling holes in the club's line-up this year.

"We'll be sort of there or thereabouts again, we've got a lot of experienced blokes who've played a lot of Twenty20 and it suits their game, Mat Skinner and myself, Dan Holland and Dan French and even Trent Smith, we're fairly experienced bats in the Twenty20 now and our bowling attack really suits Twenty20."

"Those senior couple of batsman, they'll be the big difference makers, but it'll be good to see the young fellows have a crack too."

"Our boys really enjoy it, so we're looking forward to that first match."

The McDonald's Megahit season will begin on Friday, October 24 at 5.30 at Victoria Park when the Cougars take on the Castlereagh Hornets, then continues at 8.10 when the Tigers take on Macquarie.