Tupou, 20, is the youngest captain in the NRC competition and believes his side is in good stead to take home its first win when it faces Queensland Country at Mars Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

"Coming into our fourth game together I'm thinking this is a game we can win," he said.

"Every week we get to spend together and build our combinations our confidence just grows."

The winger believes slow starts are to blame for the Rising's 0-3 record.

"Our first 10 minutes of the past few games have been crucial for us because we've conceded a fair few points early and put ourselves in a hole we haven't been able to get out of... if we can get that first 10-20 minutes right we'll be right in the game."

Coming up against a high scoring Queensland Country team, Tupou believes the play of the Rising's forwards will go a long way in securing the victory.

"They're an exciting team with a lot of talent in their back three.

"I think we're going to have the upper hand in our forward pack, we've got a lot of Super Rugby experience in our forward pack.

If our forwards can do the job up front and get us some front foot ball, the backs will definitely thrive off the back of that and hopefully be able to put up some points."

Tupou says the Ballarat game is a great opportunity to give back to a community that provides so much support to the Rising, who features Ballarat born and bred player Ola Tauelangi.

"I think it's vital to play out there just to show our appreciation to the community.

"We know we have a lot of fans in Ballarat and we want to give a gesture of our appreciation for all the people who come down and support us every week."

The Melbourne Rising will face Queensland Country on Sunday afternoon from 1pm at Mars Stadium. Entry to the contest is free.

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