Mooney said Otago players would be taken out of club rugby after the June 11 round although there might be players who would play for their club after that date to get match fitness.
Otago starts its ITM Cup campaign on July 14, taking on North Harbour at Carisbrook in the opening game of the competition, and three warm-up games have been organised, all outside Dunedin.
Otago will play North Otago on June 25 in Oamaru, then travel to Nelson to meet Tasman on July 3 before its final warm-up match against Southland in Invercargill on July 8.
With the World Cup starting in September, the ITM Cup competition has been condensed into eight weeks with Otago playing 10 games in 44 days.
Mooney said new signing second five-eighth Sam Giddens had arrived in town and came on for Dunedin in its match against Taieri last weekend.
The only player left to join the squad is tighthead prop James McGougon, who is due to arrive in Dunedin next week.
Lock Daniel Ramsay is set to play his first game for more than six months as he recovers from a shoulder reconstruction. He is expected to play part of a game for Zingari-Richmond on Saturday.
Ramsay had previously played for Southland and Wellington.
First five-eighth Hayden Parker was also making good progress recovering from a badly broken leg experienced last year, and was expected to play for his Taieri club side in the next few weeks.
Hooker Sam Anderson-Heather played for Dunedin on Saturday but he still had problems with an ankle and required surgery on it, Mooney said. He was doubtful for the season but former Otago hooker Jason Macdonald had been training with the squad.
The front-rowers will be an important part of the squad this year, with eight-man benches to come into play in the condensed schedule.
On the bench must be an entire front row, with designated tighthead and loosehead props and a hooker.
Otago's propping stocks include Halani Aulika, Kees Meeuws, McGougan, Scott Manson, and Peter van der Merwe.
Under the rules of the competition, the squad cannot assemble until a month out from the first game.
Mooney said Otago would come together on June 13 and a squad of 26 would have to be named for the competition, but in all likelihood more players than that would be used.
"Last year we had 35 guys play so if that is anything to go by we will use more than that. We need a good depth of players to get through the season," Mooney said.
"I don't think we have any holes but, in saying that, we are talking about a contact sport, so people can fall over at any time."
He said if the contracting of players was done right then they would all be selected for the squad but there was no guarantee just because a player had a contract he would make the squad.
There were a couple of vacancies still left in the squad of 26 players to be named which would probably be filled by club players, Mooney said.
With two games in five days, firstly against Auckland then Hawkes Bay, the side might stay in the North Island but was yet to decide plans.
