Wilkshire opted to field a youthful eleven on Wednesday night as the Wolves thrashed Illawarra Community League outfit Coledale Waves 11-0 to reach round six on the knockout tournament.

While several divisions separate the two clubs, Wilkshire was buoyed by the display of his young guns and believes it will increase competition for spots in his squad.

"I now have a first grade squad where guys are looking over there shoulder knowing if they don't perform that someone could step in and take their place," he said.

"I think coming into the club we always wanted to promote youth because there has always been talent there.

"We started with a squad of 20 players but I think it's 20 plus now because of the depth in those young boys."

Brendan Low and Josh Alcorn both earned their first grade debuts which had just two players from Wollongong's normal starting eleven.

Regular right back Taylor McDonald took the captain's armband, with Nik Djordjevic also keeping his spot in the back four.

Bul Juach and Stefan Dimoski led the Wolves attack. Dimoski scored five goals on the night but was far from the only standout, according to Wilkshire.

"All of the young boys stepped up and did the job," Wilkshire said.

"The most important thing was to get through to the next round and get that winning feeling back. We were able to get the result."

The Wolves face a far sterner test against Blacktown this weekend.

Wollongong have struggled against City for the bulk of the past decade, but the two clubs form lines have been reversed in 2019.

Wollongong lead the league by four points heading into the round nine clash while City have battled their way to eighth.

Wilkshire still expects it will be one of their most important matches so far this season.

"For me this is a one of our biggest games because we've spent six games away from home so far and it will only be the second time we get to come back and play at WIN Stadium," he said.

"They've always been a strong team, but we are only three games away from the halfway point of the season.

"Hopefully we can get a big crowd there."

Wollongong will be without Lachlan Scott for the match as he continues to recover from facial surgery.