Wide receiver Kirklin Burchill (left) and defensive back Matthew Davis (right) don the Southern NB Ducks’ jerseys as head coach Layton Peck (centre) prepares the team for its first-ever Maritime Football League game Saturday against the Island Mariners at Usher Miller Field in Quispamsis. Photo: Courtesy of Southern NB Ducks

SAINT JOHN • At one end of the Maritime Football League spectrum is the reigning champion Saint John Wanderers.

At the other end is the new kid on the line of scrimmage – the expansion Southern NB Ducks.

What happens Saturday when these teams host season openers is anyone’s guess. But whether it takes one quarter or one season, the inevitable is going to happen.

A rivalry.

“Hey, it’s great for football – for the fans, the teams, the city and the league,” said Saint John president Scott McNamee, a former all-star defensive lineman during his Wanderers’ days in the trenches. “More guys will get to play and as the Ducks continue to grow, the rivalry will become a bigger deal. The Wanderers’ plan is to always be the top team in the league – that mindset’s not going to change. I don’t care who we’re playing - we will not take any team lightly, not the Bucs, the Ducks, no team. We will never take our foot off the gas.”

The Ducks will actually open the new campaign by hosting the Island Mariners at Usher Miller Field in Quispamsis in a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Wanderers entertain the Moncton Mustangs at the Canada Games Stadium in a 4 p.m. start between teams that squared off in last summer’s Maritime Bowl. One other game, also a 4 p.m. kickoff, pits the Halifax Harbour Hawks against the reinstated Nova Scotia Buccaneers in Bedford, N.S.

MFL teams will pair up for a home-and-home series against one opponent and single games against the other four entries for a six-game regular-season. The top four finishers will advance to the semifinals on June 15, leading to the Maritime Bowl on June 22.

Former Wanderer Darcy Barker is the Ducks’ president and can’t wait to help launch this new era of football in the region.

“Everything is going well,” said Barker, giving props to the job another former Wanderer, general manager Clifton Richards, did to get the franchise off the ground. “He’s the guy doing all the heavy lifting – he’s pushing us to be better.”

The Ducks’ coaching staff will be led by Layton Peck. While Barker understands there will be growing pains in the team’s baptism by fire, he asserts they will bring skill to the gridiron.

“We want to make sure teams know they’re in games with us,” said Barker, noting the Ducks have good depth with a 40-man roster. “I don’t think we’re expecting to win every game, but we’re not expecting to lose every game, either. We want to be fast to the ball on defence - overall, we seem to have good team speed. We also want to be a good community team that puts a fun product on the field.”

McNamee describes his team’s opener as more of a game-day event with Wanderers’ merchandise available and full-blown concessions anchored by Domino’s Pizza. What happens on the field will also be a treat for football fans.

“I know the Mustangs will be coming to town to take back what they think belongs to them,” he said, referring to Saint John’s 42-23 Maritime Bowl victory over a Mustangs’ team that was 7-0 heading into the 2018 title match. “They better be ready for a dogfight. It might be the season opener, but I want fans to know they’re coming to a championship-calibre game – it’s a battle of the top dogs in this league. It will be a tough, tough game.

“We’re the team with the bullseye on our backs – teams begin their seasons with the goal of upsetting the Wanderers, whether or not we’re the champs. That’s fine, but we see ourselves as the hunters – always.”