Youngsters standing tall for Hanwood as they look to maintain unbeaten start

The young Hanwood side have made a reasonable start to their title defence with five points from three games and a clash with the second placed Lake Albert side will be an exciting test for coach Gabriel Abdala.

"For me, you look forward to every game, but when you are up against the renowned bigger clubs in Wagga, these are the ones that I really look forward to," he said.

"It will be another test for the young squad that we do have but in saying that having such a young team it enables them to demonstrate their desire and hunger to pick themselves up for these games.

"I get excited to see these young players to step up to the plate and show what they are capable of."

That young squad showed that they are no pushovers after coming away with a 0-0 draw against Henwood Park with a defence where the oldest player was just 18 years old.

"We actually had the youngest back line for Hanwood first grade ever last week," he said.

"Had Nick McGibbon, who is 16, then in front of him were two 18-year-olds and then on the outside were two 17-year-olds.

"That shows that the club is progressing and where the growth is coming from. We are building to what will be the future of the club.

"Nick got a clean sheet on his first-grade debut, and the feedback from the older players was that he didn't look out of place, and they felt comfortable with him back there."

The only change for the side this weekend will be the absence of Jordan Bellato, but Abdala is excited to see what his replacement can do.

"That gives someone from second grade the opportunity to step up," he said.

"What I have really loved about this squad is that whenever someone gets the chance to step up, they take it with both hands."

Meanwhile, cross-town rivals Yoogali FC will look to keep their strong start to the season going when they take on Henwood Park.

After falling in their first game of the season the Yoogali side have hit the ground running with two convincing victories over Wagga United and Young.

It would have been a hope for the club to be sitting high on the ladder after the first couple of rounds and another good performance against a Henwood Park side who have had a mixed start to the season will keep them within striking distance of top spot.

Both games will kick off at 6.15pm on Saturday at Rawlings Park with Hanwood playing on field one while Yoogali FC will be on field four.