A team will march under the Sunbury banner for the first time at the veterans championships, led by club president Julian Keddy and co-coach Ben Roarty. While the majority of the team are not Sunbury regulars, it is significant enough that the club is represented at the 60-team event.

Sunbury's other players at the masters will be Tavale Ilalio and Lionel Tata.

The age limit for the masters championship is 35-plus.

Game time ranges from 30 to 50 minutes depending on the grade. "We've been going in the past as a combined team but this is the first time we're going as Sunbury," Keddy said.

"How did we get the team together? Mates from everywhere, two from New Zealand, about 10 from NSW, three from Queensland.

"Friends of friends, Ben Roarty has a lot of friends he's known through his career coming up." A masters competition was previously held in Victoria but ceased in recent years.

The ARL Masters Carnival starts tomorrow and finishes on Sunday. Team entries are up 12 on last year's 48-team competition which topped 1000.

■Sunbury United's packed preseason will put it through some serious paces before the Victorian Rugby League season start in May. Healthy numbers around the 25-mark have been hitting the training track so far.

The Tigers will venture into NSW on April 3 to play Hay, before hosting the country championships on April 10 against Geelong, Werribee and Corowa.

A representative team picked at the country championships will take on a Victorian team the following weekend.