There's plenty happening at Dubbo CYMS as excitement grows ahead of the 2022 season.

After a gruelling pre-season fitness campaign, training is going up a gear this week with a focus now being put on team-focused sessions.

On top of that, CYMS' under 21s will take on Bathurst St Pat's in the Western Under 21s grand final on Friday night before the annual Green v White senior pre-season intra-club trial and season launch on Saturday.

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Those matches will help prepare the club for a bumper Foundation Fathers Trophy meeting with Orange CYMS in four grades the following weekend.

"I think all the players are excited about just playing and not training," first grade coach Shawn Townsend laughed.

"It's going to be a good weekend and then the next weekend too, so the whole club is pretty excited about it.

"After that (Orange CYMS trial) we'll have a week off and then we'll be right come round one."

There hasn't been a huge amount of movement at CYMS during the off-season but one of the few players to arrive who could make a major impact is Tom Hughes.

Someone who spent time in the lower grades at both South Sydney and Newcastle, Hughes has made the move to CYMS after playing with powerhouse country club Maitland Pickers last season.

A player whose struggles with arthritis at different times in the past impacted his chances' of playing NRL, Hughes has taken little time to make his presence known at CYMS training.

"You can just tell by the way he trains that he hasn't just been poking around Group 11," Townsend said.

"Even just the way he gets off the ground, it's like he's on a trampoline.

"He'll be good and from all the chats I've had with him, he's keen. He could fill in a few positions for us and he's a good fella."

Hughes has played in the centres predominately in the past but no concrete plans have been made for where he'll run out with CYMS at this stage.

His arrival comes after CYMS lost former Western Rams prop Nick Harvey, who had agreed to make the switch across town from Macquarie before making the move to link with Kurri Kurri in the Newcastle competition.

Fishies fans will get their first good look at Hughes in Saturday's intra-club trial.

The Green v White match has become a regular part of pre-season in recent years and while there's plenty of fun and banter involved, it also gives Townsend a good chance to look over a large squad of senior players.

"I've had my sides picked for this for the past couple of weeks but now I'm getting 'what side am I on?' messages," he said.

"It's more about getting some game time in for some blokes. There's a few players so if everyone gets 30-40 minutes then we'll be happy with that and it will lead into the next week, too.

"It's to see how the structure is and we haven't done much of that yet so there's no expectations."

A number of players from the under 21s side which plays in the grand final at Bathurst on Friday night will also be involved on Saturday.

Townsend has also been keeping a close eye on the under 21s during their pre-season competition and a number of the players are expected to get a chance in first grade during the 2022 Peter McDonald Premiership.

"They're going well and it's an opportunity for them to get a win and learn how to win big games," Townsend said of the 21s decider.

"You want to see how they play and go individually but you also want to see how they play in big games under a bit of pressure."

CYMS' under 18s will also take on Londonderry in a trial at Barden Park on Saturday prior to the Green v White match.

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