In recent times, there has been no shortage of Southeast Asian clubs who -- having completely dominated the domestic scene -- quite clearly have loftier targets in their sights -- in the form of regional and continental glory.
There is Johor Darul Ta'zim, who have won 12 consecutive Malaysia Super League crowns since 2014, and set a new world record at the start of the season with a 109th consecutive league game without defeat.
There is Buriram United, who are the Thai League 1's record 12-time champions -- including the last five on the trot.
And then there is Lion City Sailors, who perhaps may not be as dominant given they only have three Singapore Premier League titles to their names, although they have done the domestic double in the past two seasons and memorably reached the final of the AFC Champions League Two in 2024-25.
Since the ASEAN Club Championship returned in 2024 following a 20-year hiatus, it has thus far been Buriram who have set the standard -- winning both titles on offer since, including dispatching JDT in the semifinals last season.
But as the tournament -- also known as the Shopee Cup -- began its new season this week, it is JDT who have laid down the first marker.
Granted, the Southern Tigers were coming up against one of the weaker sides, on paper at least, in Group B on Thursday yet there was still a ruthless streak displayed in their 6-0 rout of their Cambodia's PKR Svay Rieng that suggests they are truly determined to go all the way this term.
It certainly showed in the formidable starting XI they fielded, and the contest was effectively over shortly after the hour mark when goals from Arif Aiman, Marcos Guilherme and Kevin Medina handed the hosts a commanding lead.
Still, they refused to take their foot off the pedal. Shahab Zahedi, an Iran international who spent the past couple of years playing in the J1 League, would add a fourth.
Then, it turned into the Daniesh Amirruddin show.
The 20-year-old had a dream debut for JDT last month when he came on as a halftime substitute and scored two goals in a 10-0 thrashing of A1 Semi-Pro League side UM-Damansara United.
This time, against more reputable opponents, Daniesh would repeat the feat -- captalising on some woeful Svay Rieng defending to score two close-range finishes in the final 12 minutes.
Breaking through at JDT as a youngster has never been straightforward. The supremely-talented Arif remains the exception to the rule. Even at the ASEAN Championship a couple of months ago, G. Pavithran emerged as a real positive for Malaysia -- on the international stage, no less -- despite being yet to make his professional debut.
Nonetheless, if Daniesh's cameo is anything to go by, perhaps the ASEAN Club Championship will provide the perfect platform for some of the Southern Tigers' bright hopes to showcase their wares.
On the same night JDT got their campaign off to an emphatic start, the Sailors faltered -- although it has to be acknowledged that Vietnam's Công An Hà Nội are hardly pushovers.
In a fairly even contest at Jalan Besar Stadium, CAHN were just the more industrious of the two teams in the final third -- with their winner arriving on the stroke of halftime when a barnstorming run by Brayan Perea straight through the heart of the LCS defence enabled him to lay a goal on a platter for Léo Artur.
As for Buriram, they at least had a point to show for their efforts the previous evening on Wednesday -- although there was a distinct lack of invention in their 0-0 draw at home to Borneo, as they managed just three shots on target despite having 60% of possession.
They do however know that a slow start in the tournament does not necessarily spell serious cause for concern. After all, they had lost their opener back in 2024-25 and even drew their first three outings last season -- only to lift the trophy on both occasions come the end of the campaign.
Nothing can be decided after the opening round of matches and for all of the competition's 14 contenders, they can continue to dream of making it out of the group stage at the very least.
Still, after Thursday, it is perhaps JDT who have the biggest dreams for now.