The Sharks withdrew their top sides in the early rounds of 2023 but with a strong recruitment drive by the club's committee and the addition of marquee appointment Dean Scott, Moruya will field first grade, reserves, under-18s and a ladies tag side.

Club president Matt Irving said the town struggled without local rugby league last year, but is thankful to see the numbers return this season.

"The biggest driver is Dean Scott who is captain-coach of first grade, he used to play for us and retired a few years ago," he said.

"He put his hand up very late in the piece and we were still struggling to get a coach and we were staring down the barrel of a similar sort of scenario (as last year).

"Dean Scott came back and put his hand up, absolutely grabbed it by the scruff of the neck. We got a committee up for recruitment and they did really well."

Irving said early indications are the Sharks will be very competitive this season. He and his committee are also working hard to establish a strong pathway for the town's junior footballers.

"We hadn't had an under-18s side come up through the ranks for about seven years or more, so every year we were playing without an 18s side," Irving said.

"In the end that was the tale that told. We didn't have the young people coming through and the older guys were playing and looking over their shoulder.

"They lost a bit of excitement about the club and playing footy because there wasn't anyone to teach and to take that dog work on."

Another positive is the growth in women's tag Irving said - though the club is still looking for more players.

On Saturday, the Sharks travelled inland to Boorowa for the annual Ack Weyman Shield. In dry hot conditions, the ladies tag recorded a 16-all draw after going behind 10-0.

In first grade, the Sharks proved too strong against the Rovers 32-22 in a willing contest, reclaiming the shield.

"They turned up to play as did we so it was a pretty hard fought competition just quietly, it was strong and there was no weakness on the field from either side," Irving said.

"To go out there, and this was the first game that a lot of these guys have played with each other, they're still finding their feet.

"But it was great to grab the shield and bring in back to Moruya."