The Stingrays won three straight premierships (2010, ‘11, ‘12) and almost claimed a fourth before missing last year’s finals series by the narrowest of goal differential margins.

Shaw lost players to retirement in the off-season and has taken a calculated gamble by elevating the club’s next generation of stars into his first grade squad.

The move appears to be paying off, with Illawarra progressing to Sunday’s Preseason Cup final against North West Sydney Koalas.

‘‘The preseason has been quite good,’’ Shaw said.

‘‘The team hasn’t changed too dramatically, but a few players have hung up the boots and we’ve brought a lot of the younger ones through. The 17s were a successful team last year, so we’ve taken half a dozen out of there and brought them into the seniors squad. A couple of them are still eligible for the 17s but their ability dictates where they’re playing.

‘‘It’s quite a young squad but we’ve got some senior members - the Michelle Carneys and Caitlin Coopers are still there - and those experienced players will be good for mentoring the younger ones coming through.

‘‘It’s all part of the evolution of the team over the next few years. The older ones will start to drop off and hang their boots up, and the younger ones get that experience now. We’ve brought them in knowing they’re ready.’’

Illawarra advanced to Sunday’s final in Sydney with last week’s 3-2 defeat of Blacktown.

The Stingrays have been training hard for the past three months and Shaw said their preseason record - three wins and two draws from five matches - wasn’t a fluke.

‘‘The fact that we’ve got last year’s preseason trophy and we’re in the final again shows the mentality the girls have got,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ve got 26 players in the squad and only a handful haven’t been used in this Preseason Cup. We trial players in different positions to see if they’re up to it. We know where players can and can’t play, and we’ll know our options if injuries occur during the season.’’

The final will provide a taste of what the Stingrays can expect when they host the highly rated Koalas in the opening round of the regular season on April 12.

‘‘Koalas have a really strong squad and look like they’re the team to beat this year on paper,’’ Shaw said.

‘‘It’ll be good to give ourselves a good test and keep working on the things we need to sort out to have everything in place for round one.

‘‘To have a successful preseason gives us that confidence going into the season. We play every game to win, whether it’s preseason or during the year.’’