WHEN Wagga Heat walked off their Bolton Park court after beating Dubbo in July, 2019, they couldn't have dreamed it would be 623 days before their next game.
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But that long wait will end when the Heat hit the road to Camden to take on one of the Waratah League Division Two Men's newcomers on Saturday night.
The Heat had already withdrawn from 2020 before the competition was eventually postponed completely due to COVID, and will make their return under player-coach Zac Maloney.
Already expected to field one of the youngest squads in club history, injuries and unavailability means a number of fresh faces have been called into the team.
A quartet of 16-year-olds in Angus Lourey, Charlie McCormack, Cooper Seddon and Matt Walsh will don the singlet, while newcomers in power forward Nathan Elmer and guard Nathan Murphy have been promoted to the starting line-up for their state league debuts.
Nate Bloor is nursing an achilles injury and Callum Barnes a torn rotator cuff, and Maloney hopes to have both back on deck within a month.
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"It will be a weird feeling being back out there at this level, but we're very excited to see what this new team can bring to the table," Maloney said.
"We've had a lot of hiccups the last two weeks. We'll be down two of our starters and we're going in pretty short-handed, but we'll still go in with nine.
"We've brought a couple of young guys into the squad, and it'll be an opportunity for them to see what it's like and hopefully get onto the court."
The make-up of the competition has changed dramatically after it's year-long hiatus, with Maloney admitting he has no club what the Wildfire may bring on their home court.
"We don't know what to expect from those guys and vice versa. We'll just take it as it comes and make adjustments on the day," he said.
Women's team Wagga Blaze, who have won the past two division two championships, have opted not to compete this year due to a lack of numbers.
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