Will Koroit make it six in a row, can Port Fairy snap a 61-year premiership drought and who will be the season's surprise packet?

The Standard's JUSTINE McCULLAGH-BEASY casts an eye over the Hampden league football clubs ahead of the weekend's season launch.

Coaches: Jack Williams and Neville Swayn

2018 finish: Runner-up

IN: Bayley Thompson (Timboon Demons), Chris Dendle (Timboon Demons), Liam Darcy (injury), PJ Manivong (St Kevin's).

OUT: Sam Cunnington (Redland), Cam Spence (Redland), Phil Carse (Redland), Harrison Hunkin (Redland), Jesse Gallichan (South Warrnambool), Nick Bateman (retired).

Player to watch: Riley Arnold is among the Magpies' impressive young cohort. Co-coach Jack Williams believes the skilful utility will elevate his game to the next level in 2019. "He's come out of his shell a lot from last year and has taken over some of the running sessions and is as fit as anything."

Coach's comment: "We'll still be up there. The loss of midfielders didn't help but we've still got Matthew Field, Charlie Lucas, Fraser Lucas and Luke Mahony in the middle so we've still got a lot of depth and our back line hasn't changed." - co-coach Jack Williams

Our prediction: Fifth. The feel-good story of 2018, having risen to a grand final, will face some challenges following the departure of key personnel. But the nucleus remains and some of the Pies' young talent will enjoy natural improvement. The likes of Williams and Jason Robinson in defence will play crucial roles.

Coach: Adam Courtney

2018 finish: Eighth

IN: Sam Giblett (Simpson), Tom Watson (Redan), Grady Rooke (Simpson), Ned Dalziell (Dennington).

OUT: Paul Foster (retired), Levi Dare (Hamilton Kangaroos), Paul Hinkley (Newtown and Chilwell), Nick Harding (Simpson), Joel Moriarty (Lake Wendouree), Louis Robertson (Alvie), Lincoln Dare (Alvie), Dom Dare (Alvie).

Player to watch: With Levi Dare departing, Toby Hawkins can now call the Bombers' number one ruck mantle his own. "He's hasn't missed a beat at training. He's very committed," coach Adam Courtney said. "We're really excited to see how he goes. He's very fit and he's pretty keen." Courtney also expects defender Jack Hutt to take his game to a new level after returning from a knee injury last year.

Coach's comment: "We're about development this year. We believe, as every other side is aiming for, we're aiming for finals but we know we've stripped it right back, we're starting with a whole new game plan and we have a very young list. We're not going to put massive expectations on our players, we're just going to let them go week-by-week. We want to see development from round one to round 18."

Our prediction: Ninth. There's plenty of talent for the new coach to work with but consistency could be a factor. Will be hard to beat on their day.

Coach: Matt Dunn

2018 finish: Seventh

IN: Levi Dare (Cobden), Jarrod O'Brien (SANFL), Joey Franklin (Penshurst), Charles Murrie (Donald).

OUT: Jason McIntosh (Penshurst), Seth Fiegert (St Mary's).

Player to watch: The Kangaroos have a settle group giving coach Matt Dunn a great understanding of the talent at his disposal. "We'll probably look to Jandre Slabbert to stand up again, who was super for us in his first season, and Levi (Dare) is going to give us a different look with a dominant big man," he said. "You've got Darcy Russell who has got a season under his belt and he's only 21 years old and knows what the league is about now, so we'll really look for him to take another step and Jarrod O'Brien is really keen, loves being back home and is looking forward to a big season."

Coach's comment: "Our expectation is to play finals footy. Obviously we won't know where we're at until round four or five when everyone's played a few games. We felt we made a real improvement last year and it just took us six weeks to get ourselves going. We showed we can compete every week and we're looking to finetune some of those structures." 

Our prediction: Seventh. On their day the Kangaroos play like a top-five side but the question remains whether they can maintain it for an entire season. Dare and O'Brien will add strength to the onball brigade which will help ease the burden on some of their younger players. One to watch.

Coach: Chris McLaren

2018 finish: Premier

IN: Sam Dobson (Geelong VFL), Ben Dobson (St Mary's), James Gow (Geelong VFL), Rhys Raymond (Heywood), Jack Gleeson (Noosa), Chris Paton (Dennington), Darcy Johnstone (Dennington).

OUT: Ben Goodall (retired), Taylor Mulraney (South Barwon), Tim McIntyre (Barwon Heads), Hamish Gurry (South Warrnambool), Todd McLean (Merrivale), Blair McCutcheon (Redland), Levi Nagorcka (St Joseph's), Josh Chatfield (Ballarat City), Taylor McKenry (year off).

Player to watch: The Saints are bullish about Alex Pulling. The premiership utility has impressed with his running ability. "How much he improved from his first year to his second year was super impressive," coach Chris McLaren said. "He's a super impressive player."

Coach's comment: "We're pretty confident. We've had good players go out and good players come in. No doubt we'll be hard to play against. We've got new stuff on offence and defence, with personnel changes that's what you do." 

Our prediction: First. Six premierships in a row would be an exceptional achievement but that's what Koroit is, an exceptional club. There will be plenty of new faces but one of the AFL coaches' favourite sayings "one soldier in, one soldier out" rings true at Victoria Park. The one to beat and rightly so.

Coach: Adam Dowie

2018 finish: Last

IN: Billie Smedts (St Mary's), Sam McLachlan (Colac), Darcy Keast (Leopold), Tom O'Leary (Bell Park), Mitch Bowman (Ballarat), Justin Wallace (Dennington), Jackson Couch (Cobden), Zac Urquhart (Grovedale), * Dion Johnstone (Port Melbourne), * Michael Barlow (Werribee)

* Playing VFL with Eagles their feeder club

OUT: None.

Player to watch: The versatile Adam Wines has caught new coach Adam Dowie's attention. "He hasn't missed a beat all pre-season. He's won all our running time trials, is part of our leadership group, he's 26," he said. "He's in that real mobile Sam Dobson-mould in terms of being able to blow up opponents with his running capacity. He marked the ball a lot on the wings last year in a contest but hopefully better transition of ball movement is going to mean he can mark the ball closer to goal."

Coach's comment: "Our recruiting has gone really well. We've got a high performance shed that has gone up out the back (of the clubrooms) and that will be up and going before round one. We've done a bit of reflection on how we're perceived. Over the years, North have been on the receiving end of a lot of defeats and they've handled being beaten fine, it's when they've been winning they haven't handled it the right way. And that's not just the players but maybe the whole entire club. We want to be respected. I am sure the players want that, there's no way known they're arrogant but there is a perception out there that we are. At the end of the day, perception is reality and we've maybe got a bit of a perception problem."

Our prediction: Third. High expectations surround the Eagles after a productive off-season. Finished on bottom last season but were competitive, losing a swag of game by single figures. Have maintained their list and added quality so finals are a realistic goal.

Coach: Dan Nicholson

2018 finish: Third

IN: Tom Sullivan (St Bernard's), Dougal Hamilton (Geelong Grammar), James Imbi (Heywood).

OUT: Jackson Hollmer (Lorne), Nick Sheehan (Old Collegians), Mason Crosier (Old Collegians), Mar Gattek (Altona), Josh Gunning (Penshurst).

Player to watch: Assistant coach Winis Imbi believes coach Dan Nicholson could be in for a career-best season. "His body is in fantastic condition and it seems like he's enjoying his footy as well and he's been allowed to focus on his craft."

Coach's comment: "One thing we are trying to do as a whole club is to grow from within. With recruits there's only three that have come in and even Sullivan is going to be close to Port Fairy. The club itself has made a commitment to really grow its local. We've been granted an in-house at Collingwood on April 10 which is going to be fantastic, we're taking our coaching group over, that's from juniors as well. To grow our brand and make a real focus on how we want to play and the processes within that. We're really making an emphasis on how we want to play defensively, tweaking what's already been established and also adding some new dimensions in if our plan A isn't working. With training, I know Dan has made a real emphasis on training the boys and making sure they're really strong in the core, so there's a real focus for injury prevention. We are hoping the boys will benefit from that, the intensity at training so we can replicate that on game day and also communication." - assistant coach Winis Imbi

Our prediction: Second. Is new recruit Tom Sullivan the Seagulls' missing link? They've been thereabouts for the past three seasons and have maintained their core group. Sullivan might ease the burden on midfielders Dan Nicholson, Matt Pitt and Kaine Mercovich.

Coach: Tom Sharp

2018 finish: Ninth

IN: Jake Wilson (West Adelaide, SANFL), Daniel Sturzaker (Modewarre), Ben Malcolm (injury), Ed Pritchard (Nhill), Cooper Anson (Westerns).

OUT: Luke Crane (Tasmania), Tom Hernan (Melbourne), Jay Moody (Stawell).

Player to watch: Midfielders Aaron Shepherd and Daniel Jackson have impressed first-year coach Tom Sharp. "Aaron's had a huge pre-season and I like what I see," he said. "He won the B&F last year but he's gone from strength to strength. His grunt work and ability to win the ball is just fantastic and Daniel will go through the middle more and I am looking forward to seeing Jake Wilson, for obvious reasons, he's a big, tall lad who fills a spot." Young defender Sam Hampshire is also one to watch for.

Coach's comment: "We are changing the way we play a bit. We're still quite attacking but we're going to be a lot more aggressive in our offence. I am expecting us to be a side that takes lots of risks but will make mistakes, especially early in the season. I am expecting we develop and become much stronger middle-to-late year. We'll get our heads around the way we want to play. I am unsure of where we'll finish but I think we're going to be quite competitive." 

Our prediction: 10th. It's hard to gauge how the Tigers will fare. They're brought in quality, highlighted by new assistant coach Jake Wilson, but have also lost some top-end talent. New coach Sharp seems to have the group energised and they could surprise.

Coach: Mat Battistello

2018 finish: Fourth

IN: Charlie Lee (East Point), Alister Porter (Merrivale), Jock Blair (injury), Charlie Bradshaw (Camperdown), Hamish Gurry (Koroit), Tate Porter (Merrivale), Ben Rantall (Old Collegians), Jesse Gallichan (Camperdown), Tom Wilson (injury), Tim Ryan (Kolora-Noorat).

OUT: James Hussey, Josh Saunders (South Barwon), Paddy Mahony (Panmure).

Player to watch: The Roosters' core - Harry Lee, Liam Youl, Shannon Beks and co - are still young which excites new coach Mat Battistello, as does the next tier. "They are pretty well established players but I think the league hasn't seen the best of Charlie Lee, Brayden Beks has been outstanding all pre-season and Hamish Gurry coming in from Koroit has certainly shown signs with us that he's going to be a good player. He is playing forward and mid, a variety of roles for him which he seems to be enjoying. He's certainly confident enough to go through the midfield."

Coach's comment: "We have a strong focus on our junior development. We want to see that translate to good senior football. (We've brought in) that middle tier age bracket, 22 to 24, with experience to help complement the young developing players coming through to learn their craft. I think these players that have come in can possibly make a good name for themselves because there's going to be plenty of opportunities." 

Our prediction: Sixth. New coach comes with high credentials, having coached Ballarat league club Lake Wendouree to a flag. The Roosters have sprinkled some depth to help boost a strong list.

Coach: Michael Sargeant

2018 finish: Sixth

IN: Isaac Kenna (Kolora-Noorat), Zac Whiting (Katherine Camels), Jarryd Gardner (Katherine Camels), Dylan Jones (Waratah).

OUT: Joel Moloney (Leopold), Alex Moloney (Leopold), Chris Bant (Panmure), Mark Clissold (Kolora-Noorat), Scott Carlin (Lake Wendouree, Werribee VFL), Brodie Carroll (NT Thunder), Jess Budarick (NT Thunder).

Player to watch: Utility Dylan Jones has returned to the Bloods but coach Michael Sargeant believes a whole-team approach is the key to their finals chances after a disappointing 2018. "We're probably more looking across the board. We think we've got a bit of growth without putting the onus on one or two players," he said. "It is about natural growth for the whole group really."

Coach's comment: "The first thing is to not get injuries like we did last year, that would be good. We've been lucky, we've lost a few but the majority of the group has stayed together and we haven't had to teach too many players the way we want to play, so that's been a bonus. We've been able to get stuck into it for the whole pre-season." 

Our prediction: Eighth. Entered last season with high hopes but success was hard to come by. Will float under the radar in 2019 and could surprise. The likes of Stephen Staunton and Jordie McKenzie will need to lead the resurgence.

Coach: Matt O'Brien

2018 finish: Fifth

IN: Darren Ewing (NT Thunder), Damien McCorkell (injury), Alex Shipard (North Bendigo), Sam Wilson (Russells Creek), Travis Graham (Nirranda).

OUT: Darcy Graham (Redland/ACL), Aaron Robertson (Redland), Matt Schnerring (Heidelburg, Williamstown VFL).

Player to watch: Returning midfielder Damien McCorkell will help cover Darcy Graham, while second-year Blue Ben Fleming and the classy Jackson Bell have enjoyed strong pre-seasons. Coach Matt O'Brien is also pleased with defensive duo Bradley Bull and Jordy Foott who had personal-best 2km time trials and are "exceptionally fit".

Coach's comment: "It'll be gradual improvement. We have to understand our strengths and deficiencies and chip away at them. I think we've built a good platform to launch into the season. We've got new players across the board so it might take a little while to get the cohesion back." 

Our prediction: Fourth. The Blues boast some of the competition's elite players, including recruit Darren Ewing who will ease the pressure on Sam Cowling in the attacking 50. They had a strong finish to 2018 before a disappointing elimination finals exit. That performance was not indicative of their capabilities, so expect them to come out eager to atone.

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