SO THE season is over for 10 sides. Some were never expected to make the finals, others were tipped to be there as premiership contenders. 

There have been reasons for some teams not getting to September, while others' plights are a little less clear. Is a quick rebound set for next year or is the stay outside the top eight likely to continue?

Clubs won't take long to move on and start looking ahead to 2019, so neither have we. For every club outside the top eight here is its first priority in the off-season.

9. North Melbourne

The Kangaroos' efforts in recent years to recruit a big name have unfairly drawn derision from some quarters. But you've got to be in the race to be a chance, and this year they'll go again during the Trade Period to find some more pace and class for their midfield. Port Adelaide speedster Jared Polec is considering joining the Roos on a five-year deal worth more than $3 million and he would bring some X-factor, while the club is also well and truly in the mix for West Coast free agent Andrew Gaff.   

10. Port Adelaide

It must've been a question rolling through Ken Hinkley's mind all season but the end of the year gives Hinkley and his coaching panel time to work out why the Power struggled to score this year. Port Adelaide was one of the highest scoring sides of 2017, averaging 98 points a game and conceding on average just 76. They added Steven Motlop and Jack Watts to their forward half in the off-season, presumably in a bid to further boost their firepower, but it didn't happen. They averaged just 81 points a game (ranking them 13th in the competition) and passed the triple-figure barrier just three times.

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11. Essendon

The Bombers need to spend the off-season getting Joe Daniher fit and ready for the pre-season. After his All Australian and best and fairest season in 2017, Daniher managed just seven games and eight goals this season after being ruled out with osteitis pubis following the Bombers' round eight loss to Carlton. The club put him on ice for the rest of the season but needs to make sure their gun spearhead is able to complete the full pre-season and be ready to go for 2019. Same goes for Orazio Fantasia, who played only 13 games this year amid a run of injuries over summer and during the season.

12. Adelaide

Get the pre-season camp right. An obvious one, but last year's trip to the Gold Coast was a dark cloud that hung over the Crows throughout their dismal 2018 season. Adelaide may benefit from missing the finals altogether rather than just scraping into the top eight. Unlike last year, when they were unimpressed with the condition some of their players returned in after their off-season, Adelaide has a chance for as long a pre-season as any club to prepare for next year and bounce back. Oh, and no hamstring injuries over summer.

13. Western Bulldogs

Settle the list. Decisions are soon to be made on the Bulldogs' group of free agents, who have gone through the season unsigned and unclear on their futures. Jordan Roughead and Mitch Wallis are restricted free agents, while Luke Dahlhaus and Tom Liberatore are unrestricted (as is Dale Morris, but he is tipped to play on at the club). Wallis has said he is keen to stay, Dahlhaus has been working on the right contract length for some time and a new deal for Liberatore wasn't going to be put forward until they saw how his rehabilitation from a knee reconstruction was tracking. Decisions on this group should be the first point of order.

14. Fremantle

Learn how to win - or at least compete - away from home. Fremantle's record outside Perth this year was atrocious. The Dockers played nine games and won one (a 57-point victory over Carlton) but lost their eight others by an average margin of 61.8 points. In most of those games they were out of contest at an early stage and their last trip out of the west came in round 22, when they lost to Geelong by 133 points in a complete capitulation.

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15. Brisbane

Dayne Beams is a sensational player and one of the game's best midfielders. But the Collingwood premiership player has admitted he is unsure if he will end his career at the Lions and could look at a return to Victoria before his time is up. Brisbane will be hoping it can hold on to the star game-changer for as long as possible, and he is contracted for another two years after this one. But Beams needs to give the club a firm answer he is there for the long haul without the 'at this stage' added to his commitment, or the Lions should look at getting the most for him when he's still got plenty of top football left.

16. St Kilda

Improving its skill level needs to be at the forefront of St Kilda's mind. The Saints provided some at-times comical skill errors this season and not just around goal. Their field kicking regularly let them down and makes being a forward in St Kilda's line-up a hard task. To that end, the Saints must prioritise class through their midfield during the trade period and with their top pick at the national NAB AFL Draft. It is why Dan Hannebery shapes as an interesting trade target as he doesn't have the pace or sharp ball use by foot that the Saints are crying out for.

17. Gold Coast

'Steven, what are you going to do?' If Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans and coach Stuart Dew haven't asked the question of captain Steven May yet, then they should on Monday. May is contracted until the end of next year but there has been rumblings about his future at the club. The Suns can't go through another year with speculation about their skipper, having just lost former co-captain Tom Lynch to the lure of a Victorian club through free agency. Get on the front foot and find out what May intends to do.

18. Carlton

The Blues must have the paperwork ready to go for their priority pick submission and send it through to AFL House first thing on Monday. The wooden-spooners managed only two wins this season, meaning they have won just 26 times in 110 games since making the finals in 2013. Carlton said earlier in the year it would not ask for assistance from the AFL to be more competitive, but it has to at least put forward its case. There's no harm in asking.