The full draws for the Mitre 10 Cup and Heartland Championship were released on Thursday, with Wanganui again getting a favourable itinerary based on last year's final standings.
Again, they will have to play just one game on the long South Island haul - against Buller in Westport on October 8 - with the other road matches being in Ruatoria against East Coast (September 3), Te Kuiti with King Country (September 17) and Poverty Bay in Gisborne (September 24).
The Heartland season will kick off at Cooks Gardens against West Coast on August 27, followed by the other home games against last year's beaten finalists South Canterbury (September 10), then Thames Valley (October 1) and near-neighbours Horowhenua-Kapiti (October 15).
"When you look at the three teams we miss - they're usually the useful teams," said Caskey, referring to Mid Canterbury, Wairarapa Bush and North Otago.
The former two sides were Meads Cup semifinalists last year while North Otago are traditionally contenders for one or both trophies.
"You can't always tell [favourites] from year to year, but realistically you've got to be happy with the draw we've got," Caskey said.
Still, he acknowledges there will still be travel fatigue for the squad to overcome - the trips to Ruatoria and Gisborne are not direct and usually involve changeover flights in Auckland or Wellington.
As the Meads Cup winners, Wanganui receive an automatic Ranfurly Shield challenge against current holders Waikato, which will be in mid-August, two weeks before the start of the Heartland Championship.
Caskey says they will have team camps and then play a preseason match with a Taranaki B squad as a warmup to the big clash, allowing them to practise a couple of slightly different rule changes which are used in Mitre 10 Cup, relating to the tackle and maul situations.
Playing the Shield game at that time means they can prepare a permanent squad for both the Hamilton trip and the NPC season - rather than challenging earlier in the winter where one squad gets chosen for the one-off clash and then another prepares for Heartland at the conclusion of the club rugby season.
"It will be much the same squad held together," said Caskey.
"It's pretty directly before - not like a challenge in June where you've got to have two mini-seasons."
While any amateur rugby player can dream of upsetting their professional rivals and lifting the coveted Log 'o Wood, Caskey said the team will enjoy the moment but "not put the eggs in that basket" so carrying on afterwards for Heartland won't seem like a "come down".
Following the Shield match, Wanganui are likely to play teams like Hawkes Bay B and Wairarapa Bush in their final preseason games before the West Coast clash.
Scouring the club ranks for potential standouts this year, Caskey, as always, will be hoping specialist props will make themselves known.
While incumbents Brett Turner (left the region) and Kamipeli Latu (travelling) are out of the scene, Viki Tofa has committed to a full club year with Marist, while Caskey is also looking at Border newcomer Hamish Mellow, who has come to the family dairy farm after playing for Coastal in Taranaki.
"He's technically strong. He's definitely one that we've added."
While first five Stephen Perofeta is a loss to Taranaki and already making a great fist of it up there with selection in the Chiefs Under-20s and earning a spot in the New Zealand U20 trial camp, the veteran playmaker Steelie Koro has left the dissolving Tech team in the Senior competition to play Premier for Marist.
"It's a massive bonus for Marist and it's good for Wanganui," said Caskey.
"If he's keen on [Heartland] that's good, as long as his body's up to it."
Four key players Caskey won't be able to watch in Premier are Bryn Hudson, Malakai Volau, Samu Kubunavanua and Michael Nabuliwaqe, who are plying their craft for Ngamatapouri in the Senior grade for the year.
His worry is playing the easier level will affect their conditioning and mindsets by the time it comes to play the big representative matches.
"That's always a bit of a concern. If they're too strong and getting too dominant as [Senior] teams are having to travel, it could have an adverse effect where they get defaults and it's even worse."
There will be the traditional Town v Country trial match in the middle of the winter.
The draw
Wanganui's 2016 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship draw:
August 27, v West Coast, Cooks Gardens; September 2, v East Coast, Ruatoria; September 10, v South Canterbury, Cooks Gardens; September 17, v King Country, Te Kuiti; September 24, v Poverty Bay, Gisborne; October 1, v Thames Valley, Cooks Gardens; October 8, v Buller, Westport; October 15, v Horowhenua Kapiti, Cooks Gardens.
