IT SHAPES as a season of change at the coaching level this season with a number of senior positions under intense scrutiny.
A group of assistants are part of the 2017 intake for the AFL's exclusive coaching accreditation course.
Check out each club's full coaching panel below, including those best placed to take the leap into a senior job - should one become available.
• 2017 coach pressure rankings: Who's in the furnace?
Senior coach: Don Pyke
Assistant coach (midfield): Scott Camporeale
Assistant coach (forward): David Teague
Assistant coach (defence): James Podsiadly
Assistant coach (ruck): Matthew Clarke
Development manager: Heath Younie
SANFL coach, midfield development coach: Ryan O'Keefe
Team defence specialist coach: Tate Kaesler
Defence development coach: Paul Thomas
Forwards development coach: Nathan van Berlo
Camporeale has all the qualities to be a senior coach. The former Carlton and Essendon midfielder did a great job as interim coach in 2015 following the death of Phil Walsh, guiding the Crows to a 7-4 record in his 11 games in charge. He's heading into his seventh season with the Crows after starting his coaching career at the Bombers in 2008. Forwards coach Teague had stints at West Coast (2011-13) and St Kilda (2014) before joining the Crows in 2015, Clarke is in his 10th season as the club's ruck coach, while Podsiadly is only 35 and made a great start to his coaching career last year looking after the defenders. After retiring at the end of last season, former captain Nathan van Berlo moves into a development coaching role. - Lee Gaskin
Senior coach: Chris Fagan
Football strategy: Danny Daly
Forwards: Ben Hudson
Defence: Murray Davis
Midfield: Dale Tapping
Assistant midfield: Jed Adcock
Development coaches: Scott Borlace, Mitch Hahn, Paul Henriksen, Zane Littlejohn
Opposition coach: Danny Daly
Not only has Fagan been introduced as the new senior coach, but there are quite a few fresh faces in the Lions' mix. Tapping comes from Collingwood and has been heavily involved in running pre-season sessions, as has Adcock, who returned to the club with a kitbag full of ideas after a season with the Western Bulldogs. Midfielders have already raved about the new drills he has implemented. Davis and Hudson have been around a little while, but perhaps the man Fagan will lean on most is Daly, who does a power of opposition scouting and game plan strategy work. - Michael Whiting
Senior coach: Brendon Bolton
Director of development, coaching and performance: Neil Craig
Senior assistant coach and stoppages: John Barker
Midfield: Tim Clarke
Forwards: Shane Watson
Defence: Dale Amos
Kicking: Saverio Rocca
Development coaches: Mathew Capuano (also ruck), Josh Fraser (also Northern Blues), Andrew Walker
While Bolton is a strong leader and maintains an unshakeable belief in his principles and game plan, he encourages his lieutenants to provide regular feedback and leans heavily on the advice of the experienced Craig. Barker is another who has coached at senior level after taking over as interim coach for 14 games in 2015. He has completed a Level Four coaching course, making him an ideal candidate should a senior role become available. There are also big wraps on defence coach Amos. - Howard Kotton
Brendon Bolton and his coaching group have a big job ahead of them. Picture: AFL Photos
Senior coach: Nathan Buckley
Backline: Robert Harvey (senior assistant coach)
Midfield: Scott Burns
Forward line and ball movement: Brenton Sanderson
Academy coaches: Tarkyn Lockyer (head of academy), Brad Gotch, Anthony Rocca, Jamie Cassidy-McNamara (skill acquisition)
Opposition analyst: Shane Joules
VFL coach: Jared Rivers
Pies coach Nathan Buckley boasts three assistants who are all virtual right-hand men. Officially, Robert Harvey has been the Pies' senior assistant coach since 2014, but Buckley also has strong relationships with longtime teammate Scott Burns – for three years they were a captain and vice-captain duo – and ex-Crows coach Brenton Sanderson, who has been a close friend since they were young housemates at Collingwood in 1994. Burns is expected to coach in his own right one day and heads the 2017 intake for the AFL's exclusive level-four coaching course. - Ben Collins
Senior coach: John Worsfold
Game performance manager: Mark Neeld
Forwards: Hayden Skipworth
Defence: Mark Harvey
Midfield: Guy McKenna
Development coaches: Paul Corrigan (VFL senior coach), Mark Corrigan, Dan Jordan
Opposition strategy and game intelligence: Rob Harding
The Bombers landed a quiet coup in the off-season when they poached Rob Harding from Adelaide, where he was highly regarded as a game strategist and opposition analyst. He sits in all coach meetings, leads an opposition meeting, and has been picking apart the AFL's top teams with Mark Neeld, working on ways to get ahead of the competition. Neeld's position was created by Worsfold in the mould of the 'strategy and innovations' role that West Coast employed the late Phil Walsh in. He plans a lot of the training program and works closely with the sports science department, complementing crafty football heads Guy McKenna and Mark Harvey, who have each taken their turn as senior coaches. - Nathan Schmook
Former teammates Guy McKenna and John Worsfold have been reunited at Essendon. Picture: AFL Photos
Senior coach: Ross Lyon
High performance manager – coaching: Tom Morris
Forwards: David Hale
Defence: Michael Prior
Midfield: Anthony Rock, Simon Eastaugh
Stoppages and training coordinator: Mark Stone
Senior development coach: Marc Webb
Development coaches: Brent Guerra, Roger Hayden
Ross Lyon empowered his assistants last pre-season but after the players won only four games and failed to adapt to a change in game style – with a focus on kicking skills and ball movement – the Dockers sought out a high performance manager for their coaching staff. Tom Morris, who hails from a rowing background, was installed in the new position in October and has been charged with educating and developing Ross Lyon's team to ensure they deliver the highest standard of coaching. Lyon also attended Harvard late last year to develop his own leadership skills. - Travis King
David Hale and Ross Lyon will be hoping for a more successful 2017
Senior coach: Chris Scott
Director of coaching: Simon Lloyd
Forwards: James Rahilly
Defence: Matthew Scarlett
Midfield: Matthew Knights
Development coaches: Corey Enright, Nigel Lappin
VFL coach: Shane O'Bree
The Geelong coaching panel takes a collaborative approach to everything it does. While Scott is the man in charge, Simon Lloyd plays a key role in overseeing everything that goes on. Lloyd, formerly at Fremantle, helps to 'coach the coaches' to ensure the players are getting everything they need. Players are allocated Duty of Care (DOC) coaches who take them through game review and one-on-one meetings to measure their football development as well as taking an interest in the players' off-field interests, whether that be study or work. - Ben Guthrie
Senior coach: Rodney Eade
Senior assistant: Andy Lovell
Forwards: Ashley Prescott
Defence: Andy Lovell
Midfield: Matthew Primus and Dean Solomon
Development coaches: Matthew Lappin, Aaron Rogers, Nick Malceski, Stephen Daniel
Opposition coach: Brett Munro
Veteran Eade has an experienced team around him. Lovell and Solomon have been at the Suns since day one and are both highly thought of by 'Rocket' – Lovell is his senior assistant and the man Eade leans on most. Solomon has coached defence and now midfield, has a good football brain and some at the club think he could make a senior coach one day. Primus has been a rock since coming to the Suns, working closely with the ruckmen and midfielders. The area Gold Coast has developed most in its coaching structure over recent years has been on the development side, now coming into line with the rest of the competition. - Michael Whiting
Senior coach: Leon Cameron
Senior assistant: Alan McConnell
Forwards: Amon Buchanan
Defence: Mark McVeigh
Midfield: Lenny Hayes
Stoppages/ruck: Dean Brogan
Development: Brett Hand, Nick Walsh, Roger Moten
Leadership: Nick Maxwell
NEAFL: Brad Miller
Academy: Jason Saddington
Cameron has assembled a highly credentialled coaching team with plenty of experience at AFL level in both a playing and coaching capacity. Alan McConnell is priceless with his experience working at all levels of a footy club on and off the field, while Buchanan, McVeigh, Hayes and Brogan aren't long out of the game which helps their relationships with the players enormously. Nick Walsh earned great respect when he stepped into the backs role when McVeigh was suspended last year, the Irishman impressive under trying circumstances. - Adam Curley
Alan McConnell and Leon Cameron are guiding the Giants. Picture: AFL Photos
Senior coach: Alastair Clarkson
Head of coaching and development: Damian Carroll
Forwards: Adem Yze
Defence: Cameron Bruce
Midfield: Brett Ratten
Rucks: Damian Monkhorst (part-time)
Development coaches: Marco Bello (head), Max Bailey, Chris Newman (Box Hill)
Despite the loss of football general manager Chris Fagan to the Brisbane Lions as their new senior coach, the coaching staff at the Hawks remains fairly unchanged save for the return of popular 2013 premiership ruckman Max Bailey after two years working in development at Richmond and another spent teaching in Africa. Yze and Bruce were again given opportunities to coach the side during the JLT Series while Clarkson took off for a quick study tour at Harvard University. Clarkson sits clearly atop the tree here, but he delegates heavily, encourages his assistants to develop themselves and backs them in accordingly. Ratten is a vital and soothing figure at Hawthorn with the occasional need to play 'good cop' at times when things become a bit fraught. In Luke Hodge and Shaun Burgoyne, Clarkson is also fortunate to have two virtual on-field coaches as well. - Ashley Browne
Senior coach: Simon Goodwin
Player/coach performance: Brendan McCartney
Forwards (offensive co-ordinator): Troy Chaplin
Defence (defensive co-ordinator): Jade Rawlings
Midfield (stoppage/contest): Ben Mathews
Development coaches: Matthew Egan, Max Rooke
VFL coach: Justin Plapp
There have been a number of changes to Melbourne's coaching panel in 2016, as the Demons opted for a fresh approach under coach Simon Goodwin. Goodwin has assumed the major responsibilities of a senior coach as he looks to stamp his imprimatur on the group. As he did when Paul Roos was in charge, Brendan McCartney plays a vital role in the development of players. Chaplin, Rawlings and Mathews have ultimate responsibility for their lines, while Egan and Rooke work closely with all the players, but particularly those in the David Neitz Academy, a program designed for first- and second-year players. - Ben Guthrie
Senior coach: Brad Scott
Coaching director: Darren Crocker
Forwards: Leigh Tudor
Defence: Brad Green
Transition: Josh Drummond
Stoppages and midfield group: Jarred Moore
Development coaches: Gavin Brown, Ben Dyer, David Loader
Scott is about to enter his eighth season as North coach and has had Crocker by his side all that time. Crocker served as Scott's senior assistant for his first six seasons before being promoted to director of coaching last season. In this role, he still works closely with Scott but also oversees the personal development of the rest of the coaching team. Tudor is one of the competition's most experienced assistants and will this year commence the AFL level-four coaching course as he looks to bolster his senior coaching ambitions. Drummond, 33, Green, 35, and Moore, 31, add a youthful feel to North's team, all having moved into coaching after retiring at the end of 2012. Drummond was given a taste of senior coaching when he filled in for Scott during the JLT game against Hawthorn last month. Brown, Dyer and Loader work primarily with North's first to fourth-year players, Brown as senior development coach and Dyer as development manager. - Nick Bowen
Senior coach: Ken Hinkley
Senior assistant: Matthew Nicks
Midfield manager: Michael Voss
Forwards and rucks coach: Brendon Lade
Defence coach: Nathan Bassett
SANFL coach: Chad Cornes
Midfield development: Stuart Cochrane
Forwards development: Trent Hentschel
Defence development: Jacob Surjan
Head of football development: Aaron Greaves
Academy coach: Mark Clayton
Nicks becomes Hinkley's right-hand man with his promotion to senior assistant. He will also be the key analyst on opposition teams and game trends. Nicks is highly regarded and a senior coaching job won't be far away. Shaun Hart, who has been the Power's coaching director for the past three years, is now the club's director of academies. Former Power ruckman Lade returns to look after the forwards and ruck stocks, while Garry Hocking didn't have his contract renewed. Lade is one of six coaches selected for the AFL's Level Four coaching program this year, which Nicks completed in 2016. - Lee Gaskin
Ken Hinkley and Michael Voss face significant pressure in 2017. Picture: AFL Photos
Senior coach: Damien Hardwick
Head of coaching and football performance: Tim Livingstone
Forwards: Justin Leppitsch
Defence: Ben Rutten
Midfield spread and ball movement: Blake Caracella
Midfield stoppages: Andrew McQualter
Development coaches: Craig McRae (VFL senior coach), Xavier Clarke, Ryan Ferguson
Opposition: All line coaches
Richmond jumped at the opportunity to bring Justin Leppitsch back to the club because of his ability to break down a skill in the game and teach it effectively. In Blake Caracella, they have a new man in charge of ball movement and he has worked on implementing quicker transition. The former Geelong assistant was one of the inaugural Level Four graduates and could eventually contend for senior roles. Ben Rutten is also on the path to bigger things and is considered a rising star in the industry after being awarded the AFLCA's Phillip Walsh Scholarship in 2016. Andrew McQualter was promoted to an assistant role in the off-season and rounds out the four AFL assistants, who have divided the 17 opposition clubs for forward scouting duties. All coaches are managed by Tim Livingstone, with the Tigers' senior program mirrored by the VFL coaches. - Nathan Schmook 
Senior coach: Alan Richardson
Director of coaching and development: Danny Sexton
Forwards: Aaron Hamill
Defence: Rohan Welsh
Midfield: Adam Kingsley
Assistant/development coaches: Lindsay Gilbee (VFL senior coach), Simon McPhee, Ben McGlynn, Peta Searle, Adam Skrobalak (part-time ruck), Danny Frawley (part-time defence)
Manager performance analysis: Robbie Chancellor
The Saints have a Level Four graduate and senior-coach-in-waiting in Adam Kingsley, but the 41-year-old is settled in his assistant role for now and enjoys the hands-on aspects of being a line coach. He is the coaching team's strategic mind, looking after team defence and midfield. Danny Sexton, who looks after ball movement, is also highly rated in the industry but his aspirations aren't in senior coaching. Along with football manager Jamie Cox, he is the calming influences in the coaches' box on game day and works closely with the high performance team on training programs, running most drills. Robbie Chancellor is the opposition expert who will forward scout and report to the coaching team early in the weekly cycle. - Nathan Schmook
Senior coach: John Longmire
Senior assistant: Stuart Dew
Forwards: Brett Kirk
Defence: Henry Playfair
Midfield: Stuart Dew, Josh Francou
Head of development: John Blakey
Development coach: Nick Davis
NEAFL: Rhyce Shaw
Longmire and good friend John Blakey have a long-term relationship, and although his role has changed in recent times, Blakey's experience is a massive help to the senior coach. Like Blakey, Dew is perennially raised as a candidate when senior coaching jobs pop up, and does a fantastic job with a highly potent midfield, along with Josh Francou. Premiership stars Nick Davis and Rhyce Shaw have also had a big impact in development, as shown by the roles played by Aliir Aliir, George Hewett and Zak Jones in 2016. - Adam Curley
John Longmire and John Blakey have worked together for years. Picture: AFL Photos
Senior coach: Adam Simpson
Senior assistant: Justin Longmuir
Forwards: Jaymie Graham
Backline and team defence: Daniel Pratt
Midfield: Adrian Hickmott, Dean Cox
Head of development: Gavin Bell
Development coaches: Luke Dwyer, Luke Webster, Mark Nicoski
Head of game analysis and opposition strategy: John Wardrop
Next Generation Academy head coach: Adam Selwood
The Eagles juggled their coaching staff around at the end of last season, with midfield mentor Brady Rawlings moving into list management and Justin Longmuir stepping up from forwards coach to become Adam Simpson's right-hand man. Longmuir is part of the AFL's Level Four coaching accreditation course and is viewed as a senior coach in the making. - Travis King
Senior coach: Luke Beveridge
Forwards: Ash Hansen
Defence: Steven King
Midfield: Joel Corey
Stoppages: Daniel Giansiracusa
Development manager: Rohan Smith
Development coaches: Jordan Russell, Jamie Maddocks
VFL coach: Steve Grace
Beveridge has opted not to employ another senior assistant after Brett Montgomery's unceremonious departure during last season. The coaching performance role also hasn't been retained after Chris Maple replaced Graham Lowe as footy manager. Hansen steps up to forwards coach after guiding the VFL side to a flag in 2016, while all the other assistants were reshuffled into different line roles. With a few more years of experience, Giansiracusa appears the next coach in waiting after being highly sought after upon retirement, and coaching at TAC Cup level during his playing days. - Ryan Davidson
