This will be the first time the two sides have met since the 2016 Intrust Super Premiership grand final where halves Drew Hutchison and Shaun Nona spearheaded Illawarra to the title.

With Illawarra coming off a gutsy win over Wests Tigers last week, Nona is confident his team can build on the performance and make some in-roads in the competition against the side they edged out in last year’s decider.

"It’s been a tough couple of weeks with us suffering consecutive losses but I think we responded positively last weekend," Nona said.

"I have no doubt Mounties would have circled this game on the calendar and will be out for revenge after being the most consistent team in 2016 and falling at the final hurdle," Nona said.

"This grand final rematch is a massive game for us. I’m really looking forward to this challenge on Saturday in front of our home fans."