The shots have already been fired in a spicy countdown to the Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association teams challenge at Town Beach on the June long weekend.
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Ten teams in total from around the state will converge on the Hastings, but the focus will be on the locals.
Port Macquarie will field two teams - a Young Guns and an Old Boys - with team captains Damian King and Simon Andrews focused on taking each other down.
They don't care how they do it.
"Every dog has had its day and the old boys have had theirs, but we'll see what they can bring to the table," King said, with more than a hint of tongue in cheek.
"We might beat them in the water, but they'll probably beat us at the pub. The young guns needed leadership but it might be the wrong type of leadership."
The three-time world champion said there would be a fun atmosphere over the weekend although the competitive spirit would bubble to the surface once the heats started.
"We want to win so we'll be trying to win don't you worry about that," King said.
"Newcastle is very competitive too so we definitely want to beat them; the more they want it the more you want to take it off them."
Port Macquarie Old Boys team captain Simon Andrews was more than happy King had left his team, labelling it a weight off his teammates' shoulders.
Even if it was light-hearted banter.
"He had his opportunity to be in our team, we don't need him anymore ... he's done," he said.
"We'll beat them in the having fun stakes with Kingy's bad attitude. He's had a few blow-ups with us so we're happy to see him go. It's a weight off our shoulders."
While some of their team tactics could be questionable, they'll do whatever it takes.
Even if it is staged.
"We've got strategies; Kingy will be their number one rider so our plan will be to drop in on him every wave we can because that'll piss him off," Andrews said.
"You're there to try and beat him so it doesn't matter how you do it, but we're not there to try and prove we're anybody. Our egos are in tact."
The Old Boys' captain said they were focused on taking King down.
"If you chop the head off the snake, everything else crumbles. We can't believe Kingy still thinks he's young."
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