The new 2021 AFL season is about to begin and now it's time to stick our necks on the line with some bold predictions.
Last season was full of disruptions and surprises as COVID-19 played havoc with the scheduling of the competition.
But there is optimism heading into this campaign that the worst of the virus is behind us and the AFL can thrive in 2021.
Richmond will be aiming for a third consecutive premiership - and their fourth in five seasons - with the challenge set to come from Geelong and a slew of teams with talented lists.
Sporting News' AFL expert Kieran Francis sticks his neck on the line with seven big calls for the upcoming home-and-away season.
Forget Richmond three-peat! Chokers Geelong will finally lift the cup again
You can literally see the arrogance dripping from Richmond fans as they confidently say they are going to win a hat-trick of AFL flags.
And the Tiger army are right to have that feeling - after seeing their team overcome COVID-19, hub life and several internal controversies to win last year's premiership.
There is no doubt the yellow-and-black will be contenders this season - they aren't going anywhere - and it will be a huge surprise if they finish outside the top two on the AFL ladder.
But Geelong - with the additions of Jeremy Cameron, Shaun Higgins and Isaac Smith - have now added the cream to a crop of players that were pretty close to winning the Grand Final last season.
With Tom Hawkins sitting deep in the forward line, it will harder for defenders to zone off on the big Tomahawk, with fellow Coleman medallist Cameron roaming around the forward 50 also as a target.
The thought of Patrick Dangerfield resting forward alongside Hawkins and Cameron, will put the fear of god into opposition defences, while players such as Gary Rohan, Luke Dahlhaus, Gryan Miers and Esava Ratugolea will also chip in with goals.
Smith and Higgins, both well into the 30's, add more experience to a midfield crop that already includes the likes of Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Cam Guthrie, Mitch Duncan and Sam Menegola.
The only small question mark is over the Cats defence, with the retirement of Harry Taylor meaning Mark Blicavs will likely have to be a permanent tall defender alongside Lachie Henderson and a swag of 190cm defenders including Tom Stewart, Jake Koladjashnij and Jack Henry.
It's Geelong's flag to lose and they better win one soon - because their list isn't getting any younger.
Nathan Buckley won't see out the year and Collingwood will miss the eight
Collingwood are currently on the eighth line of betting win the 2021 AFL premiership, meaning bookies think they will just squeeze into the eight this season.
Will it happen? No chance.
The Magpies just scraped into the eight last season and despite an unbelievable elimination final win against West Coast, were just making up the numbers in the finals series.
Now after an off-season of controversy, with several best 22 players departing, including Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson and Tom Phillips, plus the Do Better racism report that culminated in Eddie McGuire's resignation, Collingwood are set to go backwards.
While the defence looks to be the most solid line of the team, with the return of Jeremy Howe, the midfield has been weakened by the departure of Adam Treloar plus the lack of pre-season for Taylor Adams.
Steele Sidebottom is also injured heading into round one.
The real problem with Collingwood is the forward line - there is simply not enough goals down there for the club to have a successful season.
Jordan De Goey is a real matchwinner in the forward half but he will needed in the midfield this season. Stephenson - the club's equal-second leading goalkicker last season - has also left.
The Magpies tall forward department will be led admirably by Brody Mihocek, but he can't expect consistent support from the likes of Mason Cox and Darcy Cameron.
And with Buckley, a Magpies team that goes backwards from last season will see the pressure increase until eventual breaking point.
Bucks got within a kick of the premiership in 2018, but that ultimately will be as close as he gets with the Collingwood Football Club.
Unfashionable Fremantle could be the top eight bolter in 2021
Currently sitting on the 12th line of premiership betting, it's safe to say the Dockers aren't really fancied as finals hopes by many.
A slew of injuries to crucial players heading into round one - including Michael Walters, Rory Lobb and Sean Darcy - hasn't helped the outlook on Fremantle - and it may mean they struggle in the early rounds in attack.
But, under Justin Longmuir, Fremantle are building a defensive unit that will be among the best in the competition by the end of the season.
Led by All Australian star Luke Ryan, the Dockers are able to call upon an incredible bevy of tall options that include Bulldogs premiership fullback Joel Hamling, Brennan Cox, Alex Pearce, Griffin Logue and Taylin Duman.
In the small-medium defender department, Longmuir can select from Reece Conca, Nathan Wilson, Ethan Hughes and future star Hayden Young.
It's a swag of defensive options that seems to have gone under the radar but will prove to be incredibly hard to score against in 2021.
In the midfield, dual Brownlow Medallist Nathan Fyfe is complimented by rising trio Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra in an engine room that looks set to be able to compete with any in the next couple of years.
There are issues with the Dockers forward line, particularly with the injuries to Walters and Lobb - but if Matthew Taberner can improve as he has every season, and Fyfe can chip in with goals when he rests forward, Fremantle can squeeze into the eight.
St Kilda are priming themselves for a premiership challenge - but not in 2021
The Saints were one of the feel good stories of 2020 with their attacking brand of football under Brett Ratten earning a first finals appearance since 2011 - and their first post-season win in 10 years.
St Kilda's incredible improvement was generated off the back of several additions from other clubs including Brad Hill, Zak Jones, Dan Butler and Paddy Ryder, while the team's relentless attacking style earned huge admirers.
Now having added Brad Crouch and Jack Higgins to the best 22, plus adding the experience of Shaun McKernan and James Frawley to the list, the Saints are building a list profile that's capable of challenging for a premiership over the next few seasons.
The majority of St Kilda's best 22 is aged 27 or under, with Brad Hill (27), Brad Crouch (27), Seb Ross (27), Zak Jones (26) and Jack Sinclair (26) all about to hit their prime.
Captain Jack Steele (25) leads a highly impressive list of players at the same age as him, including Callum Wilkie, Rowan Marshall and Jack Billings.
While the list of talent that's aged 24 and under includes Dougal Howard (24), Dan Butler (24), Jack Lonie (24), Ben Long (23), Jade Gresham (23), Josh Battle (22), Ben Paton (22), Jack Higgins (21), Hunter Clark (21), Nick Coffield (21) and Max King (20).
It's an age profile that will see Saints fans salivate - but the eventual fruits will likely be reaped in the coming years.
St Kilda has a tough draw in 2021 - playing four of the top five sides twice - and also have had a pre-season full of injury hiccups.
But it's going to be another exciting year for the red-white-and-black and you can expect them to thrill and play finals with their exciting brand of football.
Matt Rowell is not going to win the AFL Rising Star award
Just joking. That would be beyond outrageous.
If there is ever a certainty it is Gold Coast gun Matt Rowell winning the Rising Star - if he gets through half of the season without getting injured.
The 19-year-old - who was selected at pick no.1 in the 2019 national draft - showed last season that he was a ready-made AFL star in the four full matches he played before getting injured.
It also plays into Rowell's hands that there really isn't any strong competitors for the award at this stage.
Second-year Giant Tom Green is second in the betting line, after playing only six games last season, while Bulldogs no.1 draft pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is third favourite - but is yet to play any minutes with the senior Bulldogs side this pre-season.
Carlton will improve in 2021 but not by enough
With pressure building on Carlton coach David Teague, and with the club reportedly targeting legendary Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson, the Blues really need to finish higher than their 11th position in 2020.
Having added pace in defence in the form of Essendon flyer Adam Saad, and more midfield grunt with Zac Williams coming across from GWS, Carlton will be expecting to push for finals this season with the added improvement from their list in general.
But Charlie Curnow is still suffering from a long-term injury and Harry McKay has had an interrupted pre-season, while there is also injury clouds over Jacob Weitering, Levi Casboult and Nic Newman.
The Blues were highly inconsistent in 2020 and there is no reason to expect they won't be the same this season.
So often they would dominate teams during periods of games but lapses throughout the contest would ultimately cost the team four point, with Patrick Cripps too often having to do the heavy lifting for his team.
There should be some natural improvement from Carlton but it's going to be stretch for them to reach the eight - a result that will have Teague's job firmly under the microscope.
Footy is going to be more exciting this season, but there will be more injuries
There has been great debate about the introduction of several new rules - mainly the man-on-the-mark rule and the cap on interchange rotations.
While there will be teething issues with the man-on-the-mark rule - as the player on the mark cannot move once it has been set by the umpire - it encourages players to take the game on.
Some of the best rebounders in the game - such as Adam Saad, Jayden Short and Bradley Hill - will be looking to receive the ball from a player who takes a mark, and use their run and carry to exploit the space afforded.
This should mean faster transition from forward to defence and allow attacking players more space to help generate scores.
Will coaches figure out a way to stifle the rule?
With the interchange rotation cap dropping from 90 to 75, there will be more space for attacking players later in quarters as fatigue kicks in, which should help lift scoring.
But tired players pushing their bodies to the limits will also result in more soft-tissue injuries across the board.
If the game's best players aren't on the park, it will detract from the product, even if it is faster.
