Mitch Ferraro will lead his beloved Blueys on to Tarrawanna Oval to face reigning Illawarra Premier League champions Corrimal on Sunday afternoon.

Standing on the other side of the field will be former Tarrawanna captain Ricky Goodchild, who held the role for several years, and Ferraro's ex-teammate and good mate Jake Morlando.

They will also take on the side that knocked them out of last year's finals series.

However, Ferraro relishes the challenge and told the Mercury that Tarrawanna would put up a strong fight.

"It's a hard task going up against Ricky and Jake, but it's going to be interesting. It's a good local derby. But we'll be up for it, it will be a good test for us," Ferraro said.

"Jake is a good mate of mine. He's always deadly, he's quick and he will be hard to stop.

"I only played one season with Ricky, but we did play indoor soccer together. I've known Ricky for a long time through my older brother."

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Ferraro admitted he was a "surprise choice" to lead Peter Willis's team in 2020 but he was ready to step up into the captaincy role.

"It's a huge honour. Obviously Ricky has been there for so long, it's big shoes to fill, " the 23-year-old said.

"It's a good achievement for me. It's good to just lead the team around. I have a huge respect for the young boys and hopefully I can do what I do best during the season, and get a lot out of it.

"But if I was captain or not, I would still be the same player I am today and try do the best I can to help the team to get the win."

The Blueys were arguably the IPL's surprise packets in 2019, finishing the regular season in fifth position.

After beating Albion Park White Eagles 2-1, Tarrawanna advanced to the preliminary finals stage.

Only a goal by star striker Van Elia proved the difference as the Rangers won.

Since that day, it's been a long wait for Tarrawanna's redemption as COVID-19 delayed the season start.

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The side has lost some experience - including Goodchild and Sam Munro - but Ferraro said Tarrawanna's youngsters were keen to get back out on the field.

"It's been a long wait to obviously get going again, but it will be good," he said.

"There's some big shoes to fill but our young guys can do a job. We've got plenty of quality. If the effort's there, we will be okay.

"You've just got to have energy. Once you start getting positive results during the game, and as the game progresses, you can build confidence. Hopefully we can link up and do what we do best, and hopefully win the game."