The ACT Rugby Union have introduced a Brumbies quota system to limit the amount of professional players on the field at any one time during the Super Rugby season this year.
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It is hoped the move will help minimise the difference between the haves and and have nots when it comes to having Brumbies players available for John I Dent Cup games.
There will be 11 Brumbies on the field when the Gungahlin Eagles attempt to dethrone defending premiers the Tuggeranong Vikings at Viking Park in the opening round on Saturday afternoon.
But some Canberra premier division clubs fear they will be left behind because of the allocation system and which Brumbies will be free to play at different times of the season.
It sparked angst the community rugby division and individual clubs in the off-season after the disparity in player allocation was raised as a major issue.
Some clubs are still unhappy with the outcome, but a consultation period led to a system that allows each team to have a maximum four full-time contracted Brumbies on the field at the same time.
However, teams who have developed players from juniors before earning Brumbies deals will be granted freedom to have those players count as "locals".
For non-Canberra juniors to be counted as locals, they must have spent three years at a club in the capital before earning a full-time Super Rugby contract.
Gungahlin boast juniors Tom Ross and Mack Hansen, who have been with the club since their early rugby years, while Tuggeranong have Jordan Jackson-Hope, Ryan Lonergan and Joe Powell in their squad.
"It's a great thing to have, for our boys it's a great opportunity to rub shoulders with top-end professional players," said Gungahlin coach Marco Caputo.
"I think the days where you've actually got four out there at any one time are going to be few and far between.
"Of our four that are out there on Saturday, two of them are home grown. The majority of Tuggeranong's boys are home grown. I think you do need some sort of regulation, but the reality is it may only happen once every blue moon.
"And I think it puts the onus on clubs to develop their own players and so that they get a bit of reward for it."
Brumbies squad members have been spread around the Canberra competition for the past eight years after former coach Jake White ordered them to stay in the capital rather than playing in Sydney.
It has no doubt strengthened the competition, but some clubs rarely see their Brumbies stars because they are regularly on Super Rugby or Wallabies duties.
Easts, for example, are unlikely to have three of their players - James Slipper, Pete Samu and Toni Pulu - for the majority of the season as they aim to break a finals drought.
The new system recognises clubs who identify young talent and develop players before they're on the Super Rugby radar, but some privately fear there are only one or two teams who have the financial capability to invest in recruiting or development.
"I can see the predicament the Brumbies are in, in terms of providing support to incoming players. Unfortunately not all the clubs are in a position to provide that support," said Queanbeyan coach Paul Dillon.
Royals coach Wayne Southwell added: "If a club is good enough to have young guys get contracts, that's good work from those clubs. They should get rewarded. You can't ask those blokes to play at another club."
