The first opportunity in that respect will come next Thursday night when a Wairarapa-Bush XV plays a Wellington selection under lights on the artificial turf at Memorial Park.
Syms admits whittling his current extended squad down for that particular game was a difficult task such was the keenness of players to be involved and he is quick to emphasise that those who missed out were still in the reckoning for the pre-Heartland games to come, including the Ranfurly Shield fixture with Hawke's Bay on July 9.
Those who have made the cut-off for the first hit-out are:
Forwards: Hamish Forrester, Henry Wilson, Kody Thompson, Jacko Hull, Kurt Simmonds, Jayden Mason, Terry Norman, Lance Graves, Gareth van Dalen, Lawrence Titter, Joe Feast, BJ Campbell, Andrew McLean, Lachie McFadzean, Jacob Warren, James Goodger, Kieran O'Brien, Liam Devine, Johnie McFadzean, Ayden Eruena, Wiremu Grace, Brock Price.
Backs: Joseph Sio, Joe Thompson, Inia Katia, Kieran Te Whare, Jordan Bennett-Davies, Tipene Haira, Tim Priest, Blade Raperia, Matt Dalley, Mike Te Whare, Byron Karaitiana, Sam Monaghan, Nick Olson, Paul Tikomainavalu, Cory McFadzean, Malatai Malatai, Ryan Saunders, Cam Hayton.
At a rough count at least 18 of those players have not represented Wairarapa-Bush at senior level before with perhaps the most interesting new faces being a couple of backs in first-five Tim Priest and midfielder Matt Dalley.
Priest, a member of a well-known Tuhirangi rugby family, has been a regular member of the West Coast Heartland side in recent times and has made a huge impression for them, both with his play-making skills and goal kicking.
His arrival back in the Wairarapa-Bush region is timely as the regular No10 from last season, Sam Monaghan, is apparently heading overseas this month and will likely be out of action for several weeks as a consequence.
Dalley is a former Rathkeale first XV player who turns out for Feilding in the Manawatu competition. He has a reputation as a strong runner and equally strong defender and is likely to play for Wairarapa-Bush under the "state of origin" rule which allows each Heartland union to select one player from outside their boundaries who had their early rugby education within them.
The acquisition of Dalley is timely too as Syms has identified the midfield, along with the front row, as the two areas where the depth of talent is at its weakest on the local club scene.
In fact, he labels the front row as having "massive deficiencies" in that regard, so much so that plans are to stage a special training session open to any player prepared to learn the skills and techniques required to fill that role at the top levels.
"The front rowers we have in the squad now clearly have those skills and will do a good job for us but it's an area where you need depth and we just don't have that," Syms said.
At the same time that Syms and Roache have named their squad for next Thursday's match, they have also added a list of nine "development" players who will train alongside them with the idea of building their experience, and perhaps even pushing for Heartland selection further down the track.
They are forwards Chris Raymond, Ben Taylor, Bruce Kauika-Peterson, Cameron Ravenwood, Chaz Mathews and Marcus Ale and backs Ueta Tufuga, Daryl Pickering and Nick Robertson.
