McLean will skipper Emus in the absence of regular captain Nigel Staniforth while the greens will also be without the unavailable Simon Badgery and TJ Cunynghame and the injured Tom Goolagong as well, while Nick Hughes-Clapp remains in some doubt too despite being named.

Considering that, the fact Emus have dropped their last two games to Cowra and Bathurst Bulldogs and the Lions have markedly improved every week despite not picking up a win yet, all signs points to an absolute epic at Endeavour Oval on Saturday afternoon.

"We are a little light on and it's probably a test of our depth, but we've got guys coming in to fill those holes who have plenty of experience so I think we've got that covered," McLean said.

"I'm looking forward to [leading the side]. I'll just be trying to lead from the front, lead by example. Really, it's not the toughest job in the world because our sides full of leaders and everyone knows what needs to be done.

"Plus, it's a local derby at home, it's our ladies' day as well and we're coming off two losses, so I don't think I'll need to say much to motivate anyone."

McLean's not unfamiliar with a leadership role either, he's long been one of Emus' senior players and led the greens in Staniforth's absence back in 2016, although that day didn't quite work as planned.

Alongside Zac White, McLean skippered Emus in their mid-season to Dubbo to face the Kangaroos, a game in which Tom Green was sin-binned, Tom Goolagong was sent off and then-coach Paul Ringland was banished from the sidelines too.

The greens lost 22-7 that day, one of just two losses they suffered on their way to the 2016 premiership.

"Obviously I'm hoping this weekend goes a little bit better than that day," McLean laughed.

Leading from the front is something he's done throughout the opening month of the 2019 season, McLean's arguably been Emus' best so far this year and certainly was in last weekend's loss to Bulldogs, although he was yellow carded in the second half.

Granted, that sin-binning came after the greens' repeated infringements inside their own half, referee Richard Madden forced to reach into his pocket after McLean was caught at the bottom of a ruck and was unable to roll away.

While that wasn't an indictment on his individual discipline or lack thereof, that is an area McLean identified as one his side needs to improve in.

"We've given away a lot of penalties in the last couple of weeks, I said after the Cowra game we'd shot ourselves in the foot and we did again at Bathurst last weekend," he explained.

"You can't afford to piggy-back teams as much as we have and it's shown in the results so we know we need to get better there, especially this weekend because I'm sure Orange City see Saturday as a big chance to get their first win, and we don't want to give them any help.

"We're not executing as well as we'd like either although our defensive effort was much-improved last week, and even though it's still early in the season we've not hit the standard we want to yet and we'd like to do that sooner rather than later."

Emus will be gunning for their 10^th consecutive local derby victory on Saturday afternoon, a winning streak that dates all the way back to August of 2015. That season's final regular season round was the last time Orange City prevailed over the greens, winning 34-26.

Naturally having so many players out coach Pete Bromley has been forced to reshuffle his side. Former Colleagues hooker Charlie Henley will replace Goolagong, another former Blue Giant, in his debut for the club while Sam McLean comes back into the second row for Badgery.

Louis Carr holds his spot at halfback in Cunynghame's absence while Carter Hirini will line up at the back in Staniforth's place.

The local derby kicks off at 3.15pm at Endeavour Oval and acts as a curtain-raiser to the Westfund Ferguson Cup derby, which is the main event on Emus' ladies' day.