Both the men's and women's sides will be looking to defend their 2019 championships and as expected, Orange features heavily in both squads.

But, let's focus on the aforementioned duo because City's Jones and Emus' McClure have fairly different perspectives coming into the campaign.

A rugby league player by trade, McClure's selection came as somewhat of a surprise, considering she's still coming to terms with how the game is played.

In fact, the 25-year-old halfback isn't even sure how much she enjoys the 15-a-side code yet.

"They're telling me that I'll like it more once I play 15s," she laughed.

"I'm still learning... there's so many rules. I think it's going to be a really good opportunity and I'm really excited."

Even though McClure is raw when it comes to rugby, she's clearly taken to it well and has been one of Emus' most dominant players throughout the start of the 10-a-side Westfund Ferguson Cup title race.

She'll head north with Emus' teammates Shae Annis-Brown, Jacky Lyden, and Karina Kiley.

"I'm really excited to play alongside the girls," she said.

"I've played with both Karina [Kiley] and Jacky [Lyden] at Vipers. It'll be so good to have their experience there. They've both played union for a few years.

"Shae [Annis-Brown] is only new to union as far as I know, but she's a gun. Every week she really shows up and she's definitely a standout at Emus. I can't wait to see her at the rep level."

Speaking about dominance, there's been no stronger Lion this winter than Holly Jones as the 18-year-old has been dynamic at Pride Park, and looks to improve her skills after previously appearing in the under 18s Blue Bulls unit.

"I think the physicality is going to be a lot different in opens," she said. "I'm hoping the skill level is going to be a lot higher and I hope the game flows more."

Jones is set to spend the campaign in the centres.

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