The Warrnambool and District league 2023 runners-up shook off a dogged and determined Old Collegians at home on Good Friday in front of a strong crowd to clinch the opening points of the season, 21.14 (140) to 5.4 (34).

The Tigers, who lost last year's grand final to Nirranda, showcased some impressive new recruits and young players in the win.

Tigers coach Josh Sobey said there was lots to like about the first-up performance.

"They (Old Collegians) were pretty organised early and looked to move the footy well so it was a good test for us," he said.

"We get a lot out of that. There were a lot of new faces on our side. Our back six was totally different to what it was last year.

"We're a different side and in fairness on assessment from last year, 'did we peak too early?'.

"Maybe we did and now we just want to make sure we hit our straps at the right time."

Both teams cracked in hard early in the warm and at times blustery conditions with the Warriors slotting the opening major of the season - much to the delight of the crowd - to stay in touch at quarter time.

But class and experience of the home side, with the flair through the middle and the power of key forward Dylan Weir eventually broke the game open.

Weir filled his boots, kicking the first three of the Tigers' majors to finish with a bag of five, while fellow forward Nathan Krepp also snagged five goals.

Sobey praised recruit Flynn Atchison - the son of premiership Tiger John - for his standout first-up performance, highlighting his bravery at the contest.

"Flynn was just super I thought," he said.

"I was really happy with the way he went about it."

Champion big man Manny Sandow looked fit and firing after missing the grand final with injury and played a commanding role in the win while midfielder Jalen Porter played a strong game.

"We're trying a few different things with Manny and I thought he moved around really well," he said.

"We haven't had too many chances to play already in practice matches and stuff so we know what a handful he is.

"He's a real professional and we're lucky to have him. The extras he puts in, it's a credit to his work rate."

The Warriors showed plenty of ticker and would take plenty out of the win, especially their desire to take the game on through the corridor and play with speed.

It may be a small sample size, but the new-look side under co-coaches Ben van de Camp and Joe McKinnon have already shown signs of improvement.

Matt Petherick, Jacob Brooks and recruit Ben Harvey played strong games for the Warriors.