Also in round one, Bathurst meets Cowra and Orange Emus and City will clash in an Orange derby.

In the second tier competition Blayney will line up against CSU Bathurst, Parkes takes on  Dubbo Rhinos and Mudgee is up against Narromine.

Maynard said the game’s new administration, which includes incoming CEO Matt Tink, was keen to put a tumultuous 2017 behind it and kick-start a new dawn for rugby this winter.

“There’s a lot of positives heading into the new season,” Maynard said.

“Beau Robinson will be back (with Dubbo Roos), that’s fantastic for the zone, Matt Tink back is fantastic as well.  

“It is a suck-it-and-see season, there’s significant change to our structure. You can guarantee nothing is perfect, I’ve learnt that over the years, but we’re really looking forward to the rugby.

“The level of consistency we should see across all grades is something we’re striving for.”

Round one of the season is on April 7, with the first grand final rematch between Emus and Forbes locked in for May 5 – the date for Orange’s Shute Shield clash.

There’s the regular break for the country championship (April 28) and for the June long weekend (June 9), but the 2018 draw also has an addition general bye.

The competition will have a week off between the final regular season round on July 28 and week one of the finals, August 11.

While the grand final will be on August 25 – nearly a month earlier than last year’s Emus-Platypi decider.

“The season length has been an issue for a while. But the shortening of the season by a month can be a positive thing.”