After AFL.com.au reporters predicted round one line-ups for each team, it appears the Swans - if their pre-season continues without incident - will be the best placed come March.
Click here to see our predicted teams for the first week of round one
For those in the AFL industry wanting to scrap the Swans' cost-of-living allowance (COLA), player ratings certainly adds fuel to the fire. The Swans' possible round one team is more than 1000 points richer than Collingwood's.
The ratings, which rank players against each other based on their statistical performance over their previous 40 games, saw dual Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett end on top after the 2013 season with 720 points.
Based on the Swans' suggested opening round outfit and the combined tally of the players' 2013 ratings, Greater Western Sydney could be in for a tough day when the teams meet at Giants Stadium on March 15.
The addition of Lance Franklin significantly raises the Swans' tally, with the former Hawthorn forward totalling 558 points in 2013, making him the No.1 forward in the competition and 10th player overall.
Click here to see our predicted teams for the second week of round one
There's no doubt the Swans' line-up is tough to break into, with Alex Johnson and Rhyce Shaw the only first-choice players left out because of injury concerns.
The Swans' predicted starting 22 amasses 7777 points - by comparison, the Giants' line-up tallies 5215, 16th in the competition.
Injecting recruits Heath Shaw, Shane Mumford and Josh Hunt into the 22 gives the Giants more experience, but the fact remains there's a pretty big gap in this year's squad.
Their highest-ranked player from 2013 was Callan Ward (475 points, 29th in the AFL) with the next best Dylan Shiel (374 points, 124th overall).
North Melbourne also looks to be in a good position despite being without captain Andrew Swallow, who pulled in 442 points in 2013.
New Roo Nick Dal Santo helps inflate North Melbourne's player ratings total. Picture: AFL Media
The addition of Nick Dal Santo (437) from St Kilda will help cover his absence and, despite slotting the untried top 10 draft pick Luke McDonald into the substitute position, the Roos' predicted team is ranked second in the League with 7573 points.
They'll play Essendon on March 21, which is also highly ranked (fourth in the competition on 7193 points) despite the suspension of Jake Melksham and the loss of Stewart Crameri and Scott Gumbleton.
Former Geelong forward Paul Chapman brings in 399 points having been predicted to line up on the half-forward flank.
Premiers Hawthorn has a predicted starting 22 that ranks third in the competition (7518 points).
Five players from last year's Grand Final triumph – Franklin, Brent Guerra and Max Bailey (both retired), and Brian Lake and Cyril Rioli (both suspended), won't be there when the Hawks open their 2014 campaign against the Brisbane Lions on March 22.
But, Ben McEvoy arrives from St Kilda and will slot into the line-up, while Ryan Schoenmakers and Matt Suckling come into defence, with totals of 248 and 279 despite knee injuries this year.
For the Lions, highly rated draftee James Aish is likely to be ready to go in round one, while recruits Trent West and Luke McGuane could also be named in the side.
Their projected line-up totals 6045 points, 13th in the competition.
Grand finalists Fremantle come in fifth behind Essendon on 7187 points. The Dockers face Collingwood in round one on March 14 in the opening game of the season.
While the Magpies' top-rated player (Scott Pendlebury - 617) easily accounts for the highest-ranked Docker (Stephen Hill - 466), the team as a whole is ranked 10th on 6549 points.
A lot of experience is gone from the Pies' line-up with the loss of five 2010 premiership players and a few others, but Alan Toovey, Alex Fasolo, Ben Sinclair and Quinten Lynch have been overlooked in the projected team, so there's depth waiting in the wings.
Young Magpies Jamie Elliott and Brodie
Grundy at a recent pre-season training session. Picture: AFL MediaIn other games, Richmond (6664 points) has Gold Coast (5560) covered for their clash on March 15 at Metricon Stadium while Carlton (7129) will be ahead of Port Adelaide (6291) for their March 16 clash if the teams line up as projected.
Geelong is ranked sixth on 7162 points, well ahead of Adelaide (12th on 6105), for their March 20 clash at Simonds Stadium.
West Coast, which finished 13th on the ladder to the Western Bulldogs' 15th, has a predicted team that is significantly stronger.
The Eagles are ranked eighth overall with 7073 points to the Dogs' 5788, which has them 14th ahead of the Suns, Giants, Demons and Saints.
The Eagles will play the Dogs in the final match of the round on March 23 at Patersons Stadium.
And the clash between St Kilda and Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on March 22, has predicted line-ups with a combined ranking reflective of their 2013 ladder positions.
The Saints, who finished 16th this year, have a projected team that ranks last in the competition with 4904 points.
While none of their draftees were named, they've recently replaced 1083 games of experience with 10 players who have played 137 between them.
Leigh Montagna is suspended for round one, James Gwilt hasn't been named in this team as he is still recovering from knee surgery and it contains plenty of youth as they continue to rebuild.
The Demons have also made significant changes.
With new players Bernie Vince, Daniel Cross, Dom Tyson and Viv Michie named in the predicted team, they fared slightly better, placed 17th on 4988 points.
Twitter: @AFL_JenPhelan
