The annual pre-season game is always a great chance for the two close-knit clubs to get a valuable hit out, but it has a bit of extra importance this year since St Pat's and Forbes Magpies will be playing in the new Peter McDonald Premiership together.

Saints skipper and former Forbes player Zac Merritt said it can never be understated how much the pre-season clash means to both clubs.

"There's around four to five of us now who have that connection with Forbes. I've spoken to the boys on Tuesday about what this game means to us. It's more than winning, it's about bringing two communities together," he said.

"Everyone goes out there and plays with a lot of passion. We go out there to represent what 'Stub' was all about."

While the Saints don't have a regular season game scheduled against the Magpies in the Peter McDonald Premiership's inaugural year it's still a great chance to see what the Forbes squad will offer in 2022.

"We'll probably take a bit more of a serious look at what they've got so we're looking forward to it," Merritt said.

"The vibe at the club right now is great. They're training the house down. We're having look at a few different combinations during our trial games, with guys like Blake Fitzpatrick coming into the team. The important thing is just trying to keep the energy up."

The Saints and Magpies will come together on field two at the Bathurst venue, as the newly prepared turf on the main field remains several weeks away from being used.

That's not the only work that's taken place at the ground, with newly concreted walkways being made and fresh turf getting laid in spectator areas.

St Pat's president Gary Goldsmith said it's exciting to see the facilities at Jack Arrow Oval continue to evolve and improve.

"Thanks to some great work by committee member Graham Ward we have been able to get a lot of work done in the last week," he said.

'All of which was made possible with the support of our sponsors such as David Hines from Hines constructions, Leon McIntosh from Bridging Australia and the Boys from JB Civil Concreting.

"The new turf looks great and the players ripped into laying it as part of training this week. As always hats off to Bathurst Council for their help as well."

Saturday's Stubby Collits Memorial game gets underway from 2pm.

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