But Popovich believes the mass exodus opens the door for an exciting batch of young talent, including English striker Tom James, to make their mark as the Panthers aim to ''dominate the competition'' in future years.

The Panthers face a tough assignment to start the season when they host the reigning league champions Canberra FC at Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

Among the players who have switched clubs include Jon Toole, Jonathon Reis, Daniel Colbertaldo (all Tuggeranong United), Tim Womack (Canberra Olympic), Pepe Varga (Cooma Tigers), Tom McLachlan (Belconnen United), Sam Ossato (Woden Valley) and Andrew Aliffi (Canberra City).

"We're starting again to a certain degree, but the plan was to go down this path eventually,'' Popovich said.

''I didn't expect 10 players from my first 11 to leave the club, but it comes back down to they think the grass is greener somewhere else, so they're moving on.

''I'm a bit confused with the whole thing because some of them weren't even playing first-grade football before they came to Monaro.''

The Panthers are prepared for short-term pain as they continue to base their squad around a strong base of junior development.

"We're in a better place than we have been in a lot of years as every single player is relatively young and they're all up and coming,'' Popovich said.

''It was always going to be a battle to keep the top tier team competitive, but we're setting ourselves up for an exciting couple of years going forward.

''We're looking at dominating the competition in years to come with all the junior development that's going on.''

One of the most interesting new additions is James.

The 20-year-old was the top scorer for amateur club Wisbech Town in England before joining the Panthers.

He has started in a similar vein in Australia, finding the back of the net twice in as many pre-season games, including the 4-2 loss to Canberra FC.

"The kid's very exciting and he will be one of the finds of the season,'' Popovich said.

Saturday's game kicks off at 3pm. Woden Valley will take on Belconnen United on Saturday night at 7.30pm, while on Sunday, Cooma Tigers face Canberra Olympic at 3pm.

Both games are at Hawker.

The match between Tuggeranong United and Canberra City scheduled for Saturday at Kambah has been called off because of wet weather.