LAST year, 15 AFL clubs were left stumbling like a boxer on his last legs as a hungry, fleet-footed opponent danced his way to every prize imaginable.
afl.com.au's Ben Broad recaps 2007 and makes his predictions for the 2008 season. Read his full season preview here.
For all clubs, 2008 offers a chance to start afresh, the highs and lows of last season behind them. In our series of season previews, you can read what afl.com.au's experts have predicted for the 12 clubs yet to take to the field in this year's premiership, and the four who have.
Adelaide look the goods again in 2008 and have had an impressive pre-season, narrowly losing the NAB Cup Grand Final to St Kilda. Click here to see if they can carry that form into the season proper.
The Lions are always competitive, and the boys from Brisbane will be hard to beat again this season after a somewhat disrupted pre-season. Coleman Medallist Jonathan Brown is also fit and raring to go - click here to see how we weigh up their chances.
Collingwood achieved great things with young players in 2007, but they have lost plenty of experience in the summer including club legend Nathan Buckley. Will the kids stand up again and fill the void? Click here to find out.
New Essendon coach Matthew Knights is part of a rebuilding phase at Windy Hill as the club begins AFL life without James Hird and Kevin Sheedy. Click here to discover if we think the Bombers can overachieve in 2008.
Fremantle has the players, but can they finally deliver in 2008? Coach Mark Harvey and captain Matthew Pavlich think so, but do we? Click here to read our review of their chances.
It's also bee a big off season for North Melbourne, but their big signings are largely in the stands, not on the field. Their rivals appear to have made gains, but the Kangaroos love the underdog tag. Click here to see if they can call on their Shinboner Spirit to get them to another top-four finish in 2008.
If the other main contenders for the 2008 premiership start to struggle even slightly, the young Hawks seem ready to pounce. They showed last year they aren't far off, but are they truly worthy of favouritism? Click here to read our view.
A new era has dawned at Melbourne with a fresh coach Dean Bailey and highly regarded sports administrator Paul McNamee joining this week as chief executive. Can the Demons produce where it matters most, on the field? Click here to find out.
St Kilda is widely considered to be the greatest threat to a Geelong back-to-back flag. With a strong list that has had some impressive additions in the pre-season, can the Saints win only their second premiership. Click here to see the Saints’ prospects.
Do they have what it takes to reach the eight? Click here to find out what the season holds for them.
Many have tipped the Eagles and Swans for a demise after three seasons at the top of the ladder but it would be foolish to rule them out of making it to September.
Can the Eagles survive without Chris Judd and Ben Cousins? Click here to find out.
Paul Roos has known little but success in his time as a coach. Can the Swans be contenders once again? Find out here.
With the benefif Thursday night's results, it might also be interesting to look back and see how we rated the chances of the four teams involved prior to the first bounce.
Click on the links to see our previews for the Cats, Power, Tigers and Blues.
