Emma McKeon will do the heavy lifting but if the Illawarra was a country, the region is aiming for a top-10 finish at the Commonwealth Games.
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McKeon is chasing as many as nine gold medals in the pool in Birmingham, starting on Sunday morning Australian time in the women's 100m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle relay finals.
As Olympics queen from Tokyo last year, the jewels in her crown were the breakthrough 50 and 100m freestyle wins and she looks near-unstoppable next week after being allowed to rest through the Australian trial season, given she'd been granted automatic qualification.
McKeon was third in Tokyo in the 100m butterfly in 55.72 seconds, 13 hundredths slower than Canadian gold medallist Maggie MacNeil, while Aussie Brianna Throssel's fastest time this year is 56.96s.
In the 50m butterfly, Australian Holly Barratt has the 14th fastest time in the world in the past 12 months and leading Commonwealth Games mark in 25.87, but only narrowly ahead of McKeon's career-best of 25.96, set at the Australian Olympic trials last year.
Australia is fastest in the world in the 4x100m mixed and women's freestyle relays, as well as third internationally in the 4x200m womens, behind China and the United States, nations which quite obviously will not be competing here.
Great Britain took out the 4x100m mixed medley relay in Tokyo, but Scotland's Kathleen Dawson will now be competing against Olympics teammates Adam Peaty, James and Freya Anderson for England, potentially allowing bronze medallists Australia to close the gap.
And Australia are hot favourite to win the women's 4x100m medley relay.
Which means McKeon could personally finish with at least five gold medals, or closer to a clean sweep.
Elsewhere, Gerringong's Grace Stewart can make the most of her late call-up to the Hockeyroos squad, starting against Kenya on Saturday night.
The Hockeyroos lost the gold medal game to New Zealand 4-1 four years ago, but recently claimed bronze at the World Cup and moved to No. 3 in the international rankings, while the Kiwis were knocked out in the quarter-finals and sit No. 8 overall.
Blake Govers and Flynn Ogilvie are top of the charts with the Kookaburras, who are reigning Commonwealth Games champions.
Their stiffest competition will be India and England.
Scottish-born Charlotte McShane made a long-time base in Wollongong and took out the Australia Day aquathon this year after fighting back from career-threatening injury problems.
She will be part of the Australian mixed triathlon relay team which is hot favourite for gold.
As the No. 4 ranked 1500m runner in the Commowealth, Jessica Hull believes she can break through into the medals, provided she bounces back quickly from COVID, after finishing seventh at the World Championships in the US last month.
Finally, Warilla's Corey Wedlock is among the top chances for gold in the men's Pairs and Fours lawn bowls competition which starts on Saturday night (AEST).
Sarah Carli will be eyeing a spot in the women's 400m hurdles final and judo talent Abigail Paduch (78kg) and Tinka Easton (52kg) will test themselves in the opening rounds starting on Monday.
It all adds up to a conservative target of at least eight Illawarra golds, nine if you count Govers and Ogilvie individually and the prospect of perhaps a dozen or more, which is quite the return for a region of less than 400,000 people.
At the 2018 Games, Scotland finished eighth on the Gold Coast medal table with nine gold, while Wales were seventh with 10 and South Africa sixth on 13.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
When to watch Illawarra athletes in Birmingham
EMMA McKEON (swimming)
Friday, July 29
- 9.09pm: 100m butterfly heats
- 9.30pm: Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay heats
Saturday, July 30
- 7.47pm: 50m freestyle heat
Sunday, July 31
- 4.18am: 50m freestyle semi-final
- 5.58am: Women's 100m butterfly final
- 6.26am: 4x100m freestyle relay final
- 8.03pm: 50m butterfly heats
Monday, August 1
- 4.17am: 50m butterfly semi-final
- 5.05am: 50m freestyle final
- 7.51pm: 100m freestyle heats
Tuesday, August 2
- 4.31am: 100m freestyle semi-final
- 5.43am: 50m butterfly final
- 8.09pm: Mixed 4x100m medley relay heats (may not swim)
Wednesday, August 3
- 4.43am: 100m freestyle final
- 6.36am: Mixed 4x100m medley relay final
Thursday, August 4
- 6.08am: Women's 4x100m medley relay final
BLAKE GOVERS and FLYNN OGILVIE (hockey)
Sunday, July 31
- 8pm: Kookaburras v Scotland
Tuesday, August 2
- 6pm: Kookaburras v New Zealand
Thursday, August 4
- 6am: Kookaburras v South Africa (4am-7.30am)
Friday, August 5
- 6am: Kookaburras v Pakistan
Sunday, August 7
- 3am: semi-finals
Monday, August 8
- 6pm: Bronze medal game
Tuesday, August 9
- 9.30pm: Gold medal game
GRACE STEWART (hockey)
Saturday, July 30
- 11pm: Hockeyroos v Kenya
Monday, August 1
- 4am: Hockeyroos v South Africa
Tuesday, August 2
- 6pm: Hockeyroos v New Zealand
Wednesday, August 3
- 6pm: Hockeyroos v Scotland
Saturday, August 6
- 3am: semi-finals
Sunday, August 7
- 6pm: Bronze medal game
Monday, August 8
- 12am: Gold medal game
JESSICA HULL (athletics)
Friday, August 5
- 8.15pm: 1500m heats
Monday, August 8
- 4.20am: 1500m final
SARAH CARLI (athletics)
Friday, August 5
- 4.38am: 400m hurdles heats
Sunday, August 7
- 5.45am: 400m hurdles final
COREY WEDLOCK (lawn bowls)
Saturday, July 30
- 12am: Men's Pairs Sectional Play - Round 1 and 2
Sunday, July 31
- 12am: Men's Pairs Sectional Play - Round 3 and 4
- 5.30pm-10.45pm: Men's Pairs Sectional Play - Round 5
Monday, August 1
- 5.30pm-12.05am: Men's pairs semi-finals
Tuesday, August 2
- 5.30pm-12am: Men's pairs medal games
Wednesday, August 3
- 1.15am-4am: Men's Fours Sectional Play - Round 1
Thursday, August 4
- 12am-5.45am: Men's Fours Sectional Play - Round 2 and 3
Friday, August 5
- 12am-5.45am: Men's Fours Sectional Play - Round 4 and 5
- 5.30pm-12.15am: Men's Fours Sectional Play - Quarter-finals
Saturday, August 6
- 5.30pm-12.15am: Men's Fours medal games
CHARLOTTE McSHANE (triathlon)
Friday, July 29
- 8pm: Individual
Sunday, July 31
- 8pm: Teams relay
TINKA EASTON (judo)
Monday, August 1
- 7pm-10pm, 52kg Preliminary Rounds quarter-finals, semi-finals and repechage
Tuesday, August 2
- 2am-4.45am: medal rounds
ABIGAIL PADUCH (judo)
Wednesday, August 3
- 7pm-10pm: 52kg Preliminary Rounds Quarter-finals Semi-finals and Repechage
Thursday, August 4
- 2am-4.45am: medal rounds
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