Easts coach John Ross concedes the odds are stacked against his team in a round-one miss match, but says it's time for his players to start believing they can prove people wrong.
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The problem is they start their John I Dent Cup season against a defending premiers Tuggeranong Vikings side stacked with a trio of ACT Brumbies using the game as a Super Rugby selection audition.
The luckless Easts will play against Tuggeranong at Viking Park on Saturday less than a year after the Vikings piled on 86 unanswered points in the last game between the teams.
Easts have won just one game in the past two seasons but there is hope the tide is slowly turning to help lift them off the bottom of the ladder.
Their first challenge will be taking on Brumbies Jarrad Butler, Nigel Ah Wong and Ben Hyne and Ross hopes the reinvigorated clubs can bury the demons of recent years.
"You've got to play Tuggeranong and it's always good to see where you're at early," Ross said.
"Maybe they're not as stable as they have been in recent years, so maybe it's a good time to get them.
"It's a fine line - we want to put enjoyment back in the game but you've got to go from playing for fun to playing well.
"You can win contests but not the game, but there's no shame is losing to a better team."
Tuggeranong will start the season as premiership favourites again despite captain Gareth Clouston retiring and centre Jake Rakic moving to Sydney after last year's grand final triumph.
Their absence will be offset by Butler, Ah Wong and Hyne as part of Tuggeranong's allocation of Brumbies players.
In a cruel twist, all five of Easts' Brumbies representatives will play Super Rugby against the Otago Highlanders on Saturday night, ruling them out of Canberra's premier division.
Tuggeranong has won six of the past eight premierships and coach Tim Sampson said the Vikings are desperate to continue their dominance.
"We lost the 2015 grand final and there was a lot of hunger last year to get back there," Sampson said.
"The key message from me has been to train like we came second again last year, just to keep their feet on the ground and to make sure the hunger is there.
"You don't know where any other club is at this time of year and Easts are no different. The gap is getting smaller and smaller between the teams and that's why we're stressing the importance of having to improve."
Brumbies outside back Andrew Smith will play for the Queanbeyan Whites in their first game of the year against Wests.
The competition will get off to a stuttered start with Uni-Norths Owls, Gungahlin and Royals all having a bye this weekend before Queanbeyan, Wests and Easts have a bye in a fortnight.
JOHN I DENT CUP ROUND ONE
Saturday: Queanbeyan Whites v Wests at Campese Field, 3.05pm; Tuggeranong Vikings v Easts at Viking Park, 3.25pm. Royals, Gungahlin Eagles, Uni-Norths Owls - bye.
BRUMBIES ALLOCATED TO CLUBS
Easts: Blake Enever, Chris Alcock, Jordan Smiler, Robbie Abel, Nic Mayhew.
Royals: Tom Staniforth, Tom Cusack, Faalelei Sione, Lausii Taliauli, Sam Carter.
Tuggeranong Vikings: Jordan Jackson-Hope, Nigel Ah Wong, Jarrad Butler, Scott Sio, Christian Lealiifano, Ryan Lonergan, Ben Hyne, Joe Powell.
Uni-Norths Owls: Ben Alexander, Allan Alaalatoa, Tom Banks, Kyle Godwin, Lolo Fakaosilea.
Wests: Tomas Cubelli, Aidan Toua, Nick Jooste, Rob Valentini, Scott Fardy.
Gungahlin Eagles: Henry Speight, Josh Mann-Rea, Rory Arnold, Wharenui Hawera, James Dargaville.
Queanbeyan Whites: Andrew Smith, Tevita Kuridrani, Les Leuluaialii-Makin, Anthony Faingaa, Saia Faingaa.
