The former Forbes Magpie junior and new vice-captain of the Saints Western under 21s squad would love to get a victory this Saturday against a former Group 11 rival.

Mawhinney and the Saints sent out a massive warning shot to the rest of the competition when they scored 34 unanswered points to win 38-8 over Orange CYMS in the opening round.

But the vice-captain expects a tougher contest against the Fishies.

There will be several former under 18s players who will also be keen for a rematch against the club after Dubbo took down Pat's in last year's Western Youth League.

Mawhinney said he always looks forward to the clash with one of Group 11's historically strong outfits.

"CYMS have always been strong so it's going to be an interesting game. They will probably be our biggest challenge in the comp," he said.

"I'll back us to get it over them. We've got a great squad with a lot of boys who love playing together."

Saints' seven-try second half effort against Orange CYMS is the sort of football the blue and whites are chasing against Dubbo on Saturday.

The performance at the back end of the match from Pat's blew Mawhinney away.

"It was super surprising how well we went and really pleasing," he said.

"We didn't have much preparation going into the game and things just kind of clicked for us in the second half. Our forwards were awesome. They led the way up the field and we have a lot of strike power on the edge.

"We have two amazing halves in Cooper [Neilsen] and Kyle [Mawhinney], and our centres were great. Bailey Ackroyd scored two tries and he had a great game."

Talented lock Mawhinney is a massive boost for the Saints in their campaign.

Mawhinney boasts experience in Sydney and is looking to apply the lessons learned at Penrith Panthers in his new colours.

"My last year with Forbes was 2018 where we went through undefeated and won the comp and then straight after that first grade won the comp, so it was a pretty big day for the club," he said.

"From there I went down to Penrith for about a year and a half to try my luck down there. I'd made the 20s squad before COVID ruined everything. I'd moved back home but I had a lot of mates in Bathurst so that's where I landed.

"One of our teammates, Tye Siakisoni, put a lot of work into getting the 21s side up and running."

Mawhinney's former club took on Dubbo CYMS in last week's opening round and didn't have a fun time.

The Magpies went down 24-4 at Apex Oval as the Dubbo men sent out a strong warning shot of their own in the six-team competition.

The match at Apex Oval starts 4.45pm.

In other games Dubbo Macquarie hosts Orange CYMS while the Woodbridge Cup 21s face Forbes.

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