After falling behind 1-0 early on, the Stingrays quickly responded with Caitlin Cooper’s goal.

Michele Carney was next to score, followed by Cooper again, Lucy Nolan and Jordan Baker – all before half-time.

Erica Halloway put the result beyond doubt 15 minutes into the second half when she cleverly lobbed a shot over the goalkeeper’s head to complete the scoring.

‘‘There was a bit of nervousness in the dressing room before the game because on paper they’ve got the guns, but when you come in 5-1 up at half-time it’s definitely good for confidence,’’ Stingrays coach Graham Shaw said.

‘‘We defended really well and our goalkeeper [Elyse Finlayson] made some great saves throughout the game.

‘‘We knew Koalas would regroup and come out in the second half with a few changes, and with the players they had in the team they definitely had the potential to get back in the game, but we held them out.’’

The Stingrays claimed the Pre-season Cup for the second time in as many years.

Illawarra square off again with the Koalas in the opening round of the championship season on April 12 at JJ Kelly Park.

Shaw realises pre-season isn’t the time to get carried away with flashy results, but he believes Sunday’s dominant performance is a shot in the arm for his young squad.

‘‘The team’s on a high at the moment, especially winning quite convincingly,’’ he said.

‘‘Koalas were at full strength but it looked to me like maybe they haven’t had enough time together yet. It gives us confidence that when we come up against them during the year we know we can beat them.

‘‘Pre-season is obviously a bit different. I’ve tried a few different things throughout with players and positions, and other coaches do the same thing. It will be tougher against these teams during the season.’’

After missing last year’s finals series by the slimmest of margins, the Stingrays are determined to return to the post-season.

‘‘We’ve got our goals for the season and things have started off really well, but it’s a long year and things change throughout the year,’’ Shaw said.

‘‘We’ve shown over this short period what we’re capable of, but to be right up the top where we want to be, it’s about consistency now. We’ve definitely got the depth in our squad and the players to achieve what we want to achieve.

‘‘We’ve got Koalas in round one and it’ll be a lot tighter game.’’