Shawn Townsend will coach Dubbo CYMS under 21s this season

CYMS will enter the season as the hunted after defeating Bathurst St Pat's in last year's final and will have a new coach for 2023 after Paul Yeo stepped away from the role.

The club's Peter McDonald Premiership coach Shawn Townsend will take over the side in the new-look six team competition.

Played at the start of the year following a gruelling pre-season, Townsend is hoping his side enjoys the opportunity to play a few extra games.

"It's exciting for the 19, 20 and 21-year-olds we've got," he said.

"I think sometimes they get caught in between coming out of juniors and straight into a senior club, this just gives them another opportunity to either keep going or get a few games in them."

Now in their third year, Dubbo CYMS and St Pat's have both won a title each across the first two seasons.

A new format and new sides have brought a breath of fresh air to this year's competition as Castlereagh, Woodbridge, Nyngan Tigers and Orange Orangutans (a mixture of the two Orange clubs) make up the rest of the teams.

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A chance to impress ahead of round one of the new season is what many players will be hoping to do over the four-week competition and Townsend believes it has its advantages.

"Over the last couple of years it has actually set us up pretty well in both grades because we've got the jump on a few teams after being match fit," he said.

"Some of the younger blokes have played six or seven games before others have played even one."

A large crop of CYMS' side from 2022 went on to play regular first grade throughout the year and Townsend may have a chance to look at a few new stars as well.

"It's worked out pretty well for us, a few blokes have gone on to play first grade and a few will this year," he said.

"It's not just a 12 month type thing but a chance to look into the future at kids who can play first grade in the next couple of years."

Whether they play first grade or not, the competition does a great job at keeping players involved in the game after finishing juniors and the CYMS coach believes over the next few years a lot of the 2022 side will be in the top grade.

"Jamyn and Mitch Cleary, Tom Stimpson, Jordi Madden and Sullivan Haycock all played first grade after this competition last year," he said.

"Looking at last year's group Kyjuan Crawford and Jackson Bayliss will probably play first grade this year, Jack Allen is another one out of that group.

"Out of that 21s group from last year we will end up with 12 or 13 first graders."

It may be a smaller competition than what some would have liked but Townsend knows there can be a lot taken out of the next four weeks.

"Especially early in the year, it actually gets them to training nice and early because there is a competition and a grand final," he said.

"I don't care what anyone says everyone still likes winning, at the moment they've been turning up to training so the expectations are going to be pretty high when we play.

"It just gives them extra footy and a bit of confidence heading into the season. Last year Mitchell Cleary I had never really seen but picked him because he was good in the 21s and I don't think he missed a first grade game after that."

CYMS will start their campaign at Cargo on Sunday with matches against St Pat's and Woodbridge.

On Saturday, Nyngan will have their first taste of under 21s action when they take on Orange and Castlereagh at Narromine's Cale Oval.

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