In a scheduling quirk, the two teams faced off in Twenty20 play last week, with the Lions prevailing in a tight affair.

Connor is expecting Wollongong to come back harder following the loss, however he said his side is taking plenty of confidence from the win in Saturday's 50-over clash. That is, of course, if the predicted rain stays away and the two teams take to the field.

"The weather's a bit of a worry this week, it doesn't look great," Connor said.

"We were pretty poor to start the season, the boys were ticked off last week knowing we started poorly. We've got a little bit of momentum now after pipping Wollongong in the Twenty20, so the boys are keen to get stuck in again."

After reaching 8-113 with the bat, Keira's bowlers restricted Wollongong to 8-101 last weekend, with Connor taking three wickets and Troy Coleman two.

While the Lighthouse Keepers will be without captain Duncan Maddinson, who is on Creighton Cup duties, they still boast a deep batting lineup.

Coming into the side on Saturday is 15-year-old bowler Victor Strange who will make his first-grade debut.

Connor said Keira must bowl and field well if they were to secure victory.

"The first week we were pretty poor in the field, dropped a few chances, last week we didn't drop one. If we can replicate what we did last week in the field, and having Nick Bell back in the team, our bowling will be quite strong," he said.

"We're not affected by the Creighton Cup, which is a bonus for us.

"They have a couple out, but they still have a strong batting lineup. If we can put pressure on them, try get Dave out cheaply and keep them to a low total, it will hold us in good stead."

After progressing to the grand final last season, Keira enter the season hoping to return to the semi-finals for the third-straight year.

With numerous teams adding talented players to their lineups, Connor knows the Lions can't afford to start the season with two-straight losses if they are to feature at the business end of the summer.

"The competition's stronger in general this year. The majority of teams have strengthened, so the opening four to five rounds will be a good indication of where everyone's heading. There aren't going to be any cheap wins, we have to turn up every round and put our best foot forward.

"For us, having Dan Constable and Ryan Smith back and adding Hugo Ikeda to our bowling ranks, it's strengthened us. But having the team on paper doesn't matter if you don't turn up on the day."

The match comes on another exciting day of cricket, with Northern Districts set to host Helensburgh and Wests playing Balgownie.

Port Kembla will take on Dapto while University will face Corrimal.

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