

ADELAIDE – ANDREW JARMAN "There's two areas of improvement for next year – one is their fitness levels because they've got to have the ability to run out quarters which we didn't do this year. Secondly, the addition of (James) Podsiadly and (Eddie) Betts, I think that gives them some more firepower in attack. Betts is just such a good front and square crumber and Podsiadly obviously offers them a real target, I think we'll notice the difference."

BRISBANE LIONS – CHRIS JOHNSON "I know the way the club would be thinking, and anything but a final berth wouldn't be accepted. I think they have a good list, a list that can improve, and with a fresh direction and the likes of (James) Aish, (Lewis) Taylor and (Darcy) Gardiner being added in through the draft, I certainly think a finals berth is what 'Leppa' and the rest of the team would want. (Matthew) Leuenberger hasn't had a great run with injury, but when he's been out there he's been a massive contributor. (Jack) Redden and (Tom) Rockliff, you know what you'll get from them and (Pearce) Hanley coming off the backline has been super. I reckon there's still improvement for those guys and the finals is a real possibility."





CARLTON – PERCY JONES

"I think the Blues will go all right. They've got plenty of good players in the middle of the ground. They just need a key forward to stand up. If they had've got Cloke, he would've been fantastic. But I'm confident they can make the finals."





COLLINGWOOD – PETER DAICOS

"Like all clubs they would be looking to make progress up the ladder. The aspiration would be a top four finish. Hopefully they get a good run with injuries and get a few of the younger kids who have had a grounding in the past couple of seasons to really start to step it up. They have been pretty courageous, dropping a few off that they considered were not going to take them to the next level this time. That is all part of list management. The jury is probably out on who they have brought in but they have proven in the past they can bring youngsters on. They got some early picks and were quite excited about who they got, and the next phase is to bring those players on within the existing group."





ESSENDON – JASON JOHNSON

"I think they'll be better than last year, in terms of what happened off the field. I think they can finish in the top four, but I think they're more likely to be in the four-to-eight range. Their improvement might come in their tall players, I think they've got some really good 'bigs' who have a lot of talent and they can have an impact."





FREMANTLE – PAUL HASLEBY "I think there's a very strong correlation between teams that lose a Grand Final often making it back within the following year or two. So I expect Fremantle to be back in the top four. They've got a very unique playing style that I don't think the other clubs have worked out yet so I can see them being hungry and desperate and they'll get back in the top four and should make the Grand Final again."



GEELONG - GARETH ANDREWS "I have a feeling that the Cats can be right up there again. I think the top teams are not as good as they could be, because of three or four years of high draft picks going to the clubs up north - Greater Western Sydney and the Gold Coast Suns. So I don't think the teams up the top are as good as they could be, especially when it comes to the depth of players. So Geelong has got a young team now, and it would need everything to go right to win the flag, but I think it could. If we get everything right, and Tommy Hawkins is fit again, I think we'll be right up there."

















The fitness of Tom Hawkins could hold the key to Geelong's chances in 2014. Picture: AFL Media





GOLD COAST - MALCOLM BLIGHT "As Guy McKenna has already said, the expectation that we want to play in September is a welcome pressure. As a club, I think everyone agrees with him. We haven't had a whole lot of luck with injuries over the three years. We just need our taller players to stand up and have a good year. Our midfield's good, our key defenders were pretty good but we just need our key forwards and our ruckmen to stand up."

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY – DERMOTT BRERETON "I don't know that they will set the world on fire in the win-loss column. I still believe they have one more year of the journey to acclimatise to League football. They've started to include some more seasoned players in Josh Hunt and Shane Mumford, another monster ruckman to share the load with Jonathan Giles. They have extraordinary young talent and I think they want to win more games and start giving something to their supporters. They'll surprise a few teams and I think they can win four, five or six games this year. The emergence of someone like Jeremy Cameron last year, I reckon you're going to see a couple more guys who we just go 'my God, how good is this kid?' The midfield will be where that happens."





HAWTHORN – GARY AYRES

"Without being involved at the club, what seems to be coming out of Hawthorn that the pitfalls that followed the 2008 flag seems to be uppermost in their minds. They don’t want to be underprepared and they have long formulated plans for life after Lance Franklin and that's a credit to Alastair Clarkson and his coaching staff. If you look at the losses and the gains since last season, I think they're in a good position to give the flag a shake once again."





MELBOURNE – GARRY LYON "Obviously the midfield's been strengthened. So I'm hoping that takes a little bit of pressure off the defence. Up forward, I'd really love to see, round one, Mitch Clark who I think is the most important player, Jesse Hogan, who I haven't seen much of but I hear a lot of great things about, Chris Dawes and I'd like Jeremy Howe somewhere around there as well. So if that midfield can do their job, it takes pressure off the defence and it should also provide opportunity for a forward line – if everyone stands up – that should be capable of kicking goals."





NORTH MELBOURNE – GLENN ARCHER

"I'd like to think they'll go really well but I do get a little bit scared when everyone pumps the team up before we've even kicked a ball. They've recruited really well over the off-season, getting Geoff Walsh, Gavin Brown and Leigh Tudor off the field and then bringing Nick Dal Santo into the team to add a bit of class. When you add all that to what they did last year, the potential is massive. But potential is a scary word and they have to tighten up their defensive mindset. When they're 30 points up and a team comes at them like last year, they've got to be able to switch over to pure defence and lock a team out."





PORT ADELAIDE – STEPHEN WILLIAMS "They took everyone was taken by surprise this year so it's going to be pretty tough to maintain that standard, the draw will make it harder too. Their list is young though and it's developing all the time and there's plenty of first-round draft picks starting to show their potential. A lot of them have played 50-plus games now and are starting to make a name for themselves in the competition. All Port supporters would feel pretty optimistic about 2014."





RICHMOND – MICHAEL ROACH ng forward I reckon." "I'd like them to improve, but I don't think their draw is as good as it was in 2013. Hopefully they make the top eight again. I like their game style and I hope Shaun Hampson stands up. I just reckon they were one forward short last season, someone else who can kick goals other than Jack (Riewoldt). Jake King does a reasonable job, but we need to find a crumbing forward I reckon."





































Shaun Hampson's recruitment could pay big dividends for the Tigers. Picture: AFL Media





ST KILDA – DANNY FRAWLEY

"I think it will be interesting to see what style of play Alan Richardson brings to the table. Ross Lyon was a very good defensive coach and Scott Watters tried to open up the floodgates and get more scoring but it probably hurt the other way. I think Alan is smart enough to get a good balance of defence and attack, and the big tick for him mid-season will be on what style they'll play. Alan will be the first to know there will have to be a bit of patience over the next 12-24 months but in saying that, there's no reason they can't improve on what was a pretty disappointing year. If they can get Sam Fisher, Sean Dempster and Sam Gilbert back playing good football, that will be a big step, and another pre-season for Tom Lee … their ruck stocks are young so that will take time, but their senior players – Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna – will have to been seen as not only good players but good mentors as well."





SYDNEY SWANS – LEO BARRY

"They certainly changed their list quite a bit in the off-season, obviously with the recruitment of 'Buddy'. They've lost some experienced players, Andrejs Everitt, Shane Mumford and the like, but they've recruited well through the draft so they've been continually refreshing the younger stock. They've got a really good, consistent list and if they can keep the team together fitness-wise, I certainly think they should push for that top four. Internally I think they'd have pretty high expectations and I think they're in a pretty good position."





WEST COAST – GLEN JAKOVICH "Dream draw. Nic Naitanui has got to stand up. Midfield has to find pace. The player group that led them to a preliminary final three years ago and a semi-final two years ago, that nucleus of players are still there and are a bit more mature now. Players like Andrew Gaff, Jack Darling, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey and Josh Kennedy all need to now stand up and fulfil there potential. They were touted as playing off in a Grand Final last year and fell way short of the mark. Injuries cannot be held accountable for that. They have a potent forward line with Kennedy, Darling, and Mark LeCras. So they have the capabilities of kicking 100 points a game. The other point is who is going to stand up when Darren Glass, Dean Cox and Beau Waters start to go? So the challenge is for blokes to take the reigns."





WESTERN BULLDOGS – BRAD JOHNSON

"I’ve really enjoyed seeing how the team has started complementing their contested ball winning ability with ball retention, and using it more efficiently going forward. I look forward to seeing that improve even further next year."