ADELAIDE
B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Scott Stevens
HB: Simon Goodwin, Nathan Bock, Andrew McLeod
Just one change is expected to Adelaide's back six this season, with NAB AFL Rising Star runner-up Andy Otten unavailable with a knee injury. Rutten and Bock return to form the bottom end of the Crows' spine and Johncock will continue to provide plenty of run from the pocket. Goodwin, who earned All-Australian honours for his performance across half-back last year, will hold down one flank leaving McLeod, Michael Doughty, Brent Reilly, Nathan van Berlo and Brad Symes to rotate through the other. Swingman Stevens will play a defensive role, subject to match-ups.

BRISBANE LIONS
B: Ashley McGrath, Daniel Merrett, Andrew Raines
HB: Josh Drummond, Joel Patfull, Jed Adcock
The Lions have found their anchor with Merrett, while Drummond and Patfull appear certain inclusions too. McGrath had a terrific 2009 so expect him to remain in the defensive 50. Adcock is a midfield type but with plenty of emerging ball-winners, his grunt should complement the backline. Former Tiger Raines was picked up for a reason - to provide run and carry. The most interesting slot is centre half-back. Will recruit Matt Maguire be all Michael Voss hoped for? Patfull, at 190cm, isn't big but filled the void last season. However, with three ruckmen to choose from, the Lions have other options such as Mitch Clark.

CARLTON
B: Dennis Armfield, Michael Jamison, Bret Thornton
HB: Paul Bower, Jarrad Waite, Jordan Russell
Waite's knee is progressing well and he's still the starting CHB for now. Both Jamison and Bower are rated extremely highly by the coaching staff, with Thornton's versatility also making him an automatic selection. On his late form last season, Russell looks to have finally found his niche, with Armfield's pace and excellent pre-season helping him edge out Steven Browne. Heath Scotland and Andrew Carrazzo have legitimate claims on a starting spot, but are pushed to the bench in this scenario. Browne, Mark Austin, Joe Anderson, Rhys O'Keeffe and Chris Johnson will need to stake their claims in the VFL.

COLLINGWOOD
B: Tyson Goldsack, Simon Prestigiacomo, Harry O’Brien
HB: Nick Maxwell, Ben Reid, Heath Shaw
Four of the six spots in the Pies' backline seem locked in. Prestigiacomo will still get the nod to shut down the opposition's best key forward each week, while skipper Maxwell, O'Brien and the dasher Shaw will again be regulars. Goldsack and Ben Johnson are likely to figure most prominently for the remaining flank or back pocket role. Both played about a dozen matches last year and while each can attack, a starting spot might come down to match-ups. Centre half-back looms as a likely battle between two young up-and-comers. Will Nathan Brown reclaim his position after a disappointing 2009 or will the improving Reid win an early chance?

ESSENDON
B: Dustin Fletcher, Tayte Pears, Henry Slattery
HB: Ricky Dyson, Cale Hooker, Courtenay Dempsey
Pears' breakout 2009 has cemented him in the back six, with Fletcher set to float around as a more than handy back-up option and Slattery there to provide defensive pressure. With Nathan Lovett-Murray suspended until round three, Dyson and Dempsey will man the flanks and Hooker centre half-back after a promising season last year. Where - and if - the versatile Michael Hurley plays is yet to be determined with his rehabilitation from a wrist injury and a potential in-house suspension still hanging over his head, but he could easily slip into the back six if available. Jarrod Atkinson and a fit Bachar Houli and David Myers could also fill roles off half-back.

FREMANTLE
B: Roger Hayden, Chris Tarrant, Greg Broughton
HB: Paul Duffield, Luke McPharlin, Adam McPhee
Tarrant and Duffield emerged as Fremantle’s standout defenders in 2009 and haven’t missed a beat this pre-season. Broughton has also come from the clouds to be a valuable small defender while Hayden, who was used up the ground late last season, locked down a back pocket in Fremantle’s intra-club match. McPharlin is set to return to centre half-back, where he has played his best football, while McPhee shapes as a versatile option. Originally set for a midfield role, he played as a sweeping half-back in Fremantle’s trial match and could start round one in defence as third tall at the expense of Antoni Grover. Nick Suban and Michael Johnson are versatile interchange options. 

GEELONG
B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Corey Enright
HB: Josh Hunt, Harry Taylor, Andrew Mackie
Well, doesn't that look familiar. Pretty much the backline that took Geelong to last year's flag, but with the one change, as captain Tom Harley has retired. However, if Hunt can return to the level he was playing at before he did his knee early last year, the Cats' defence will be improved, not weakened, although Harley's on-field leadership will be missed. James Kelly will move from defence back into his more usual midfield role. It's hard to believe Taylor, who was pivotal in the grand final win, is going into just his third year at senior level.

HAWTHORN
B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Josh Gibson
HB: Grant Birchall, Ryan Schoenmakers, Rick Ladson
Backline injuries were a big reason for Hawthorn's fall last year but at this stage the team looks close to full-strength. Expect Gilham and Ladson to slot back in while recruit Gibson is virtually guaranteed a walk-up start. Xavier Ellis and Clinton Young will press for spots across half-back as they return from injury but could also be used up the ground. Luke Hodge famously won his Norm Smith as a half-back general but indications are that he will play forward early on, as could Campbell Brown.

MELBOURNE
B: Jamie Bennell, James Frawley, Jared Rivers
HB: Joel Macdonald, Matthew Warnock, Jack Grimes
Bennell has had an excellent pre-season and looks set to assume the small running defender position vacated by the retired Matthew Whelan. Frawley is now a key tall and Rivers has had his best pre-season in years. He looks ready to build on his solid 2009 after managing just nine matches in the two previous seasons. Ex-Lion Macdonald steps in for the retired Paul Wheatley and Warnock is a now permanent fixture in the back six. Grimes could easy play in the midfield, but the club will be mindful he has only 12 games under his belt. His worth off half-back will be equally critical.

NORTH MELBOURNE
B: Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson, Brady Rawlings
HB: Scott McMahon, Nathan Grima, Daniel Pratt
With just 41 games between them, Thompson and Grima remain North's best options in the key positions, though Firrito's return to the backline post-Josh Gibson will provide experience and some extra cover. Rawlings will again target the most dangerous small forward. Underrated McMahon has the creativity and confidence to provide the side's best rebound from half-back - something Pratt did so well in 2007 and 2008. It means Pratt will have to rediscover form quickly or risk being overtaken by second-year player Sam Wright, who has had a solid pre-season and should push for an interchange spot right away.

PORT ADELAIDE
B: Paul Stewart, Alipate Carlile, Jacob Surjan
HB: Nathan Krakouer, Chad Cornes, Jackson Trengove
Carlile will hold down full-back while Krakouer and Surjan should continue in the roles they made their own last season. Cornes will return to the backline full-time, and will be required to cover a key position initially with Troy Chaplin suspended for the opening round. It leaves four or five players to battle it out for two vacant spots, but 2008 draftee Trengove seems likely to be handed his debut. Versatile defender Michael Pettigrew is battling hamstring tendonitis and could miss the start of the season, so Paul Stewart seems next in the pecking order. Matthew Broadbent, Andrew Moore and ex-Bomber Jay Nash are on his tail.

RICHMOND
B: Kel Moore, Will Thursfield, Alex Rance
HB: Chris Newman, Luke McGuane, Shane Edwards
The Tigers have taken 14 new players into their den over the summer, but don't expect to see too many of them getting a game early in the season, especially in the backline. Young Jayden Post is likely to play back, but the Tigers expect all three of their talls from last year to be fit for round one. Thursfield is over his shoulder problems, which means Post is unlikely to start on the ground. Watch for Edwards and Newman to both push up through the middle. Andy Collins and Daniel Connors could also give drive off half-back.

ST KILDA
B: Steven Baker, Zac Dawson, Jason Blake
HB: Farren Ray, Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert
There is no point making too many changes to the best defence in the AFL, so expect things to stay much the same. Baker showed on grand final day with his negating role on Steven Johnson that he can still do the biggest jobs. Gilbert, Fisher and Ray know how to move the ball well out of the defensive 50, while Blake is one of the more underrated players on St Kilda’s list. In just 12 months, Dawson has gone from the football scrapheap to the main tall defender in the stingiest side in the competition. Jason Gram and Brendon Goddard could both play further up the ground. Sean Dempster and Raphael Clarke will also be pushing for spots in the back six.

SYDNEY SWANS
B: Ted Richards, Craig Bolton, Lewis Roberts-Thomson
HB: Martin Mattner, Heath Grundy, Tadhg Kennelly
Bolton and Roberts-Thomson have endured interrupted pre-seasons but both are essential cogs in the Swans' back six. Grundy's outstanding preparation, in which he successfully blanketed Adam Goodes on several occasions, gives him first claim to the centre half-back slot. Kennelly's return to his familiar half-back role will release Rhyce Shaw to the midfield in 2010, while Mattner will mirror the Irishman on the opposite flank. Richards' versatility gives him the nod in the back pocket while a rejuvenated Nick Malceski should provide relief from the bench.

WEST COAST
B: Beau Waters, Darren Glass, Will Schofield
HB: Sam Butler, Mitch Brown, Shannon Hurn
Glass and Hurn are automatic selections, while the highly-respected Waters should return to a back pocket. The versatile Schofield’s impressive pre-season and NAB Cup start should see him occupy the other pocket at the expense of Brett Jones. Brown can play forward, but he is the frontrunner to snare centre half-back ahead of Eric Mackenzie and Matt Spangher. Butler has continued on from his impressive end to 2009, having added increased accountability to his creative defensive role. He is favoured to join Hurn on a flank, while recruit Brad Sheppard and youngster Scott Selwood should push for interchange roles as running defenders who can rotate through the midfield.

WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Dale Morris, Brian Lake, Jarrod Harbrow
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Tom Williams, Ryan Hargrave
No major surprises here. The versatile Morris and Lake, who is one of the most reliable full-backs around, are recent All-Australians while the rebounder in Hargrave was in last year's extended squad. Gilbee's foot skills have him as a valuable commodity on the flank, while Harbrow developed into a reliable small backman last year. Williams is in despite his injury woes and will be important at centre half-back if he stays fit after a sound pre-season. Andrejs Everitt and Tim Callan are possibilities, while James Mulligan and Jarrad Boumann - who are set to feature in the NAB Cup - are being groomed for future key roles.

The views in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.