ADELAIDE and West Coast appear best placed to break into the top eight this season, based on the number of 'elite' players in their squads.

Champion Data's pre-season analysis of each club's playing stocks has two-time defending premiers Hawthorn leading the way with eight elite players (see below).

The Crows (six) and the Eagles (five) are the next best. West Coast, however, suffered a major blow during the pre-season when defender Eric Mackenzie – last year's best and fairest and one of the club's five elite players – was ruled out for the season with a serious knee injury.

2014 finalists Fremantle, Geelong, Port Adelaide and Richmond each have four elite players. Melbourne and St Kilda, which finished last year 17^th and 18^th respectively, have none on their books.

The Crows and Eagles last featured in finals action in 2012. Both won 11 matches last year, with West Coast finishing ninth on the ladder and Adelaide a rung below.

Since 2012, Champion Data has boxed players in five categories, ranging from 'elite' to 'poor', based on a complicated formula assessing their most recent form. Players who have yet to debut, played only sparingly or are returning from long-term injuries (less than 10 games in two seasons) are placed in a sixth category named, appropriately, '?'.    

Each of the past three premiers (Sydney Swans in 2012 and Hawthorn the past two years) started those seasons with six elite players in their squads.

Here are the top-four clubs after the Grand Final from the past three seasons and the number of elite players they were deemed to have at the start of those campaigns.

YOUR CLUB’S ELITE PLAYERS IN 2015

Adelaide              
Eddie Betts, Patrick Dangerfield, Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Brodie Smith, Daniel Talia

Brisbane Lions              
Dayne Beams, Tom Rockliff, Dayne Zorko

Carlton                       
Kade Simpson, Chris Yarran

Collingwood               
Scott Pendlebury

Essendon                    
Michael Hibberd, Cale Hooker, Jobe Watson

Fremantle                   
Nat Fyfe, Michael Johnson, Aaron Sandilands, Michael Walters

Geelong                             
Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Joel Selwood, Harry Taylor

Gold Coast                 
Gary Ablett, Harley Bennell, Nick Malceski

Greater Western Sydney               
Ryan Griffen

Hawthorn                   
Grant Birchall, Luke Breust, Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson, Jack Gunston, Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Matt Suckling

Melbourne  
Nil

North Melbourne              
Nick Dal Santo, Todd Goldstein, Brent Harvey

Port Adelaide              
Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Justin Westhoff, Chad Wingard

Richmond                   
Brett Deledio, Shane Edwards, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt

St Kilda  
Nil                    

Sydney Swans            
Lance Franklin, Kieren Jack, Josh Kennedy

West Coast                
Shannon Hurn, Josh Kennedy, Mark LeCras, Eric Mackenzie, Nic Naitanui

Western Bulldogs              
Robert Murphy