Highly-fancied Swans Academy duo Max King and Blayne Chandler will make their Black Diamond Cup debuts for Cardiff Hawks against The Entrance-Bateau Bay Blues on Saturday.
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Hawks coach Danny Priest confirmed on Friday that the youngsters would be part of his side at Bateau Bay Oval.
King, the younger brother of Cardiff ruckman Billy, has been earmarked as a rising talent for quite some time.
Still only 16, he is already 192cm tall and tracking towards making a career out of the game. Last year, he earned selection in the under-15 All-Australian merit side after captaining the NSW all-schools team at the national championships.
His state honours came after leading the Hunter Colliers, the region's representative side, to a maiden state championships title.
King was sidelined earlier this year after suffering a concussion in his first Swans Academy game, but returned in recent weeks.
"It's been a road for him, but he will finally get his chance," Priest said.
"Max is quite tall and gangly and has got really good skills, so just finding his position will be the thing.
"Being a young guy, he gets thrown around all positions. But I'll play him up forward and then probably out on a wing."
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Chandler, originally a Singleton junior, will make his debut at just 15 years of age after being given an exemption to play below the minimum age of 16.
"It's on the recommendation from the Swans that he starts competing against men," Priest said.
"He's been really good in the 17s. He is only a little fella, so we will see how he goes. He is a midfielder in the 17s, [but] probably through the forward-line [today] and he might get his chance through the middle. We'll see how the game pans out."
Cardiff, who sit third equal on points with Killarney Vale (second) and Terrigal Avoca (fourth), are missing a few regulars but fresh after a bye last week. The Entrance have lost four of their past five and are placed second last.
Elsewhere, Maitland coach Dustin Spriggs believes his side's clash with defending premiers Killarney Vale has come at the perfect time as the season reaches its midpoint. After this round, every team will have played each other at least once before a general bye next weekend.
"We'll get a good view of where we're at after this weekend, where we sit on the ladder and how we stack up," Spriggs said. "They're the only ones we haven't played.
"In years gone by taking on the defending premier ... can be a daunting task. But I think the improvement we've shown this year and where they are, they've lost a player or two from that premiership year, so it's an exciting one rather than daunting."
The Saints are without Mitchell Greaves, Rywin Nock and Matthew Guy.
In the only other men's game, front-runners Newcastle host seventh-placed Singleton. Terrigal Avoca's men's and women's opponents, Nelson Bay and Lake Macquarie respectively, have both forfeited due to player shortages. Leaders Newcastle host fourth-placed Cardiff in the only women's game.
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