At Telstra Dome in Melbourne on Thursday, the 16 club captains gathered for the official AFL season launch. We caught up with them on the eve of what promises to be another exceptional year of footy.

ADELAIDE: Simon Goodwin
The Crows’ skipper says the development of his younger teammates will help him and a few of the more established Crows earn at least one more shot at AFL glory.

While Goodwin says the side has lost 800 games of senior experience with the departures of players such as Mark Ricciuto, Scott Welsh and Ben Hudson, the exciting progress of others should see the Crows continue their consistency.

“There’s no doubt we want to play finals footy and we’re known as a really competitive footy club,” he said.

“We’ve played five out of the last six finals series and we’re aiming to continue that record.

“I think our youth really is on the rise.

“I think we saw that throughout the NAB Cup [that] we have got some good juniors coming through.

“We have lost 800 games worth of experience but to see these guys developing – that’s where the improvement is going to come from, from those guys really improving as players and helping our footy club move forward.”

BRISBANE LIONS: Luke Power
The critics might believe it’s another year of developing the kids up at the Brisbane Lions, but Luke Power – one of the club’s four co-captains for 2008 – says there’s plenty to like about the youthful looking side being put together by master coach Leigh Matthews.

“We’ve had some great years in the past, followed by some pretty lean years lately, but that’s the challenge to get ourselves up to where we’ve been in the past and to hopefully have some more success and play some finals footy,” Power said.

“The last three years, it’s all been about the process of getting games into players who had previously only played a couple of games, and now we’re finding we’ve got a number of players on our list who’ve played 50-60-70 games. ”

“That development is always ongoing, but with the way we finished last year, we’re confident we’re building something pretty exciting this year and playing some great footy.”

CARLTON: Chris Judd
The expression ‘awkward’ isn’t something you usually associate with Judd, but the new Carlton skipper admits his elevation to captaincy roles – first at West Coast and now at Carlton – has been exactly that.

“It was a bit of an awkward situation, and if I look back to how I got the job at West Coast, it was a pretty awkward one there as well, but I was really happy at how that turned out,” he said.

“I felt it was something there that was really worthwhile, so I guess I reflected on that experience and that played a big part in why I decided to take it on.”

“One of the big things in choosing Carlton was the amount of young kids we’ve got down there, and just being able to play with them and watch their development in the years to come is going to be pretty special.”

COLLINGWOOD: Scott Burns
The Pies have better depth than last year, says their new skipper.

Burns said the club's "internal pressure" was helping create a Collingwood list that was placing great expectations on the 22 representing the Pies each round.

"To me [internal pressure] was the main reason why we – I wouldn't say [had] success –but was the reason why we got to grand finals in '02 and '03," he said.

"There were times when [former players] Rupert Betheras, Glenn Freeborn and Heath Scotland were playing reserves and they were easily good enough to play in our seniors and be in the best players, so we're starting to get that again.

"The best thing for us was having those injuries in a lot of ways, so we could blood those players and we really want them to take the next step.

“It doesn't matter whether you're a one- or two-year player, middle-tier or a senior player – if you're not going to try and improve your footy, you might be under the pump a bit this year at Collingwood."

ESSENDON: Matthew Lloyd
Lloyd has been critical about the lack of off-field discipline shown of some of his teammates during the past few years, but says he’s been delighted with the strict approach adopted by the club over summer.

“I think we were being a bit lenient in the past and I think things just snowballed a little bit and now I think everyone knows what’s right and wrong, and what’s expected of the group,” he said.

“Just for the first year players coming into the club, once you get on top of things early, you don’t have any issues from there and they sort of train themselves.”

“We thought we’d get on top of these things now so we won’t have any issues in the long run.”

FREMANTLE: Matthew Pavlich
While Pavlich was one of 14 captains in an AFL survey to tip the Cats to for back-to-back flags, he’s confident his side is ready for their own assault on the premiership under new coach Mark Harvey. “With Harvs having had seven weeks at the helm at the end of last year and then being given the role, he was already able to put his stamp on how the club was going to be and how we were going to play,” Pavlich said.

“That’s a bit more evident than it was when we first came back to training. We’re very settled now. We’ve been training for 18 or 20 weeks now, so it’s a long time.”

Pavlich says fans’ expectations for 2008 are matched by the players’.

“I think the expectation we put on ourselves is the biggest thing we have to deal with. I think the guys set themselves high standards and living up to those is hard enough.”

GEELONG: Tom Harley
Harley says nothing has changed at the Cattery despite last year’s grand final showing his team is 20 goals better than the second-best side in the competition.

While Harley did notice he was far more popular at Thursday’s AFL club captains gathering than at the same event 12 months earlier, the Cats are now back to square one – and on a level playing field with each of their 15 rivals.

“I had dreams of being a premiership player this time 12 months ago and I’ve got them again, so it’s funny how the world turns,” Harley said.

“We’ll just go forward and go about our business the best we can.”

Some would question whether a side that won last year’s decider by 119 points could improve, although Harley has no doubts.

“Yeah, I think we can always be better,” he said.

“We were coming off a very limited base last year and we made massive gains in terms of just our fitness levels and things like that.

“It’s hard to make the same quantum sort-of-leap but I think we’ve definitely made gains going forward.”

HAWTHORN: Sam Mitchell
With the Hawks having played finals football last year for the first time since 2001, Mitchell says the club has high expectations for the coming season.

“As a team last year we weren’t sure of how we were going to go, and we ended up being capable of playing some good footy.

“This year we’ve got more expectations of the type of way we’re capable of playing.

“If we can play that, I think we can win a lot of games of footy. Whether that takes us to the top four, I’m not sure.

“We’ve been together as a team for three years now, with the move to Waverley and a new coaching system.

“I think we’ve evolved together so I think finally now it’s starting to come good – whether that’s good enough we’ll have to find out.”

MELBOURNE: David Neitz
Neitz says the Demons' tough new disciplinary code will eventually lift their on-field performance, but admits it might have made things tougher in the opening round.

Forward Colin Sylvia will miss the round-one clash with Hawthorn at the MCG on Easter Sunday after the club suspended him earlier this week for breaking a team- It follows the indefinite demotion of Brock McLean from the club's leadership group and a pre-season suspension of defender Nathan Carroll for other off-field disciplinary issues.

Neitz said the new player-instigated code of conduct was strict, but it would have long-term benefits for their football.

 "I think the transfer will come across in the fact that it's a discipline-type thing, hopefully it will encourage guys to hold their peers to account, not just in off-field, but in on-field roles and things like that as well," Neitz said.

"One of the big things that comes out of it is a communication thing, it wasn't necessarily just the leadership group involved in the decisions that we've made.

"We've included the wider group and it's involved a lot of forthright discussion and hopefully that translates out onto what we're doing on the footy field."

NORTH MELBOURNE: Adam Simpson
Simpson is "not surprised" just one rival AFL captain nominated North Melbourne to make this year's top eight, despite the fact the Kangaroos finished third and played off in a preliminary final last year.

The poll was conducted by the AFL when 16 AFL captains assembled at Telstra Dome on Thursday. Simpson even jokingly said the vote was his - even though players weren't allowed to nominate their own club.

"People think we play above our expectations and one good year probably doesn't prove a lot - we've got to back it up. In '06 we were 14th and I don't think the media or betting [rates us] - we're three dollars to make the eight [this year]," Simpson said.

Simpson pointed to Sydney as a recent example his team could follow in order to gain greater recognition in the football fraternity.

"I think it took them [Sydney] a good three or four years before they got any recognition and I think that's how we've got to look at it," Simpson said.

"If we don't back it up this year then everyone will [say]: 'It was one out of the box' - that's the way I look at it. I'm not really surprised."

RICHMOND: Kane Johnson
Johnson said the Tigers playing group was not affected by constant criticism and low expectations from outside the club.

“We try to read as little as possible because all that matters is what we’re saying internally and how we’re going about our business,” he said.

“That’s all we can concentrate on. If you can concentrate on the little things and get them right hopefully you can get the ball rolling.

“It does [frustrate me] at times but you can’t get caught up in it.”

Johnson said there had been no discussion about end-of-season ladder positions among the players.

“We haven’t really set any benchmarks other than wanting to win round one,” he said.

“We just want to go after Carlton and go from there. I don’t think you can set too many goals except internally and get your game plan right and your structures.”

ST KILDA: Nick Riewoldt
The Saints’ new skipper said there was a growing sense of familiarity at Moorabbin as Ross Lyon approached his second season as coach.

 “Like players you grow with experience and I think right across the board our coaching staff is more confident this year,” he said. “They’re surer in themselves and the game plan.

“I think when you have more time to practice and grow into it, the coaches have learnt more about us as players as well. We’re all growing into it.”

While Riewoldt has already had two years as captain, he said that it felt no different now that it was on a long-term basis.

“It’s only been a day so it’s still taking a bit of time to sink in.

“If that’s the way the club wants to go with a more permanent role, then I support that.

“It’s still our responsibility as leaders of the club to make sure the leaders are coming on from underneath and growing all the time. Hopefully there is someone in a few years who is good enough to take over the role.”

SYDNEY SWANS: Brett Kirk
Co-captain Kirk says the playing list is paying no attention to the widespread notion that the team is a spent force.

“I don’t think we read too much into it,” he said.

“I think the expectation isn’t as high as it has been in previous years, but that’s not going to change the way that we approach things.

“We’re not going to look at it any differently… far out, I wouldn’t be stepping out in a team that wasn’t going to be competitive. That’s the way we play football and that’s what I’ll be expecting from the player group.”

He also said Nick Malceski appeared to be recovering well after undergoing radical knee surgery to replace a ruptured ACL in his knee, sustained in round one of the NAB Cup against Hawthorn.

“We had our guernsey presentation the other night and he walked up the steps pretty well,” Kirk said.

WEST COAST: Darren Glass
Since his appointment over summer as the new West Coast captain, the softly-spoken Glass knows he is now the main man at West Coast.

“It’s a challenging role but it’s a role I’m enjoying,” Glass said at the AFL captains’ day at Telstra Dome.

“I certainly believe in this player group, that they can achieve success on and off the field.”

Glass scoffed at predictions of a West Coast decline in the post-Judd and Cousins era, saying there was a more than capable support crew ready to step up.

“We had the second half of last year without Chris Judd and the majority of the year without Ben Cousins,” Glass said.

“Some guys got some terrific exposure and experience last year - guys like Matty Priddis and Matt Rosa.

“We haven’t had to start afresh. We’ve also got guys like Shannon Hurn and someone like Chaddy Fletcher coming [back] after an injury-interrupted season last year. It’s not going to be as drastic as what people imagine.”

WESTERN BULLDOGS: Brad Johnson
Johnson will play his 300th senior match against Adelaide in the side’s season opener on March 23, but all the champion forward wants is a good performance from the Doggies.

 “We’re just super keen to start well,” Johnson said at Telstra Dome on Thursday.

“You know, if we get off to a good start, hopefully then we can hold it and learn on a few things from last year.

Johnson said his young team had dropped away badly towards the end of 2007 but after a big off-season Bulldogs fans could expect good things in the early rounds.

“We are ready to go,” he said.

“We’ve had a good summer and we’re all fit and ready to go, so it should be a good first-up match.

“Our form’s been fairly good … we started off okay and we’ve built from there.

“We had a poor game against the Bombers I suppose in [the] NAB Cup, but our other performances have been very good,” he said.