• Liked the look of: 18 players who caught the eye in NAB Challenge week four

THE PRE-SEASON is in the can. Officially, we can start licking our lips in anticipation of the new football season, one which, thanks to the Cricket World Cup, has been far too long in coming.

As focus shifts to round one, we take a snapshot of your club's NAB Challenge along with a detailed look at the early openers for the first round of the season.

Carlton v Richmond, MCG – Thursday, April 2

There has been a bit of talk out of both clubs this summer. The Tigers have vowed not to repeat the slow start of last season which all but cruelled their hopes, the remarkable surge to the finals notwithstanding. With the Blues it has been some patented Mick Malthouse "why not us?" talk. Malthouse has even suggested he can't foresee any games the Blues will lose this season, and fair play to the Herald Sun, which helpfully pointed out to the Blues coach on the weekend seven or eight games that the Blues will most likely lose.

It has been hard to get a read on Richmond's pre-season form. In their only NAB Challenge game of note given the respective line-ups, the Tigers were beaten by North Melbourne and the issue still seems to be finding a reliable second marking forward to ease the load on Jack Riewoldt.

The Blues were quite good against the Cats on Sunday considering their outs. Liam Jones joins Levi Casboult and Lachlan Henderson in a forward line that should take a few marks and keep opposition backlines honest. The midfield has some talent and Malthouse seems to have undergone some sort of epiphany and encouraged his men to play down the guts.

In any event, these two clubs have been insistent that they keep the right to open the season. They get their wish this year; they owe us a cracker.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Carlton: And then along came Jones
Richmond: Measured

Melbourne v Gold Coast, MCG – Saturday, April 4

It has been fascinating to watch Paul Roos reconstruct the Demons piece by piece. Last year it was the backline and the defensive structures and over the course of the season, it started to fall into place. This year, defensive transition and the forward line have been the focus, with an assist from coach-in-waiting Simon Goodwin.

The Demons have some targets to kick to this year with Chris Dawes and Jesse Hogan. Melbourne supporters have been anticipating Hogan's debut for two years and if he plays against the Suns, he might drag another 5000 fans through the gates in anticipation. Even if he just brings the ball to ground for Jeff Garlett, the Demons will make the scoreboard operators work that bit harder this year.

The bar has been raised on the Gold Coast, despite claims by new coach Rodney Eade that it is not essential to make a debut finals appearance this year. But Suns players are already on notice; after the draw against the Lions on Friday night, Eade said places in the side for round one aren't as clear-cut as he earlier thought.

And he has some worries. Gary Ablett has yet to play a minute of competitive football, Tom Lynch is suspended, Jaeger O'Meara isn't yet fit and bookends Rory Thompson and Sam Day are a bit underdone. The Demons a sneaky chance? Maybe.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Melbourne: Introduced run and carry
Gold Coast: Ablett-free

Sydney Swans v Essendon, ANZ Stadium – Saturday, April 4

This one is tough to talk about a fortnight out because there are still so many variables. Will one or both of Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett line up for the Swans? How bad is the injury to Kieren Jack? And who exactly will play for Essendon?

Either way, it shapes as a tough outing for the Bombers. Their patched-up side performed admirably against Melbourne on Friday night, but playing the Swans on the road is like going from a maiden at Manangatang one week to a Group One at Flemington the next. And if the Bombers do have some joy with the AFL anti-doping tribunal on March 31, then the team for the clash with the Swans could be half-filled by those having their first game of footy for the year.

The Swans will start heavy favourites irrespective of who plays for the Bombers. But there will be more intrigue over this clash than any other in the opening weekend of the season.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Sydney Swans: Isaac Heeney, best 22 already
Essendon: Who's no.70?

Brisbane Lions v Collingwood, Gabba – Saturday, April 4

Who said the AFL fixturing department doesn't have a sense of theatre? Copeland Trophy winner and Magpie premiership player Dayne Beams in his first game for the Lions against his former club.

They're a happy team at Brisbane, fit and settled after a great pre-season. The signs were good against the Suns on Friday night, running out the game superbly to snatch the draw after not kicking a goal in the middle two quarters. The Lions have established a first-rate midfield now, but they need a few blokes to catch it once it gets near goals.

Collingwood's list build continues at pace. But the Pies were really poor on Saturday night against the Western Bulldogs and it doesn't help that Levi Greenwood, the replacement for the departed Beams, appears set to be missing for a few weeks.

In the short term, this is a team with too many holes to be really dangerous. Eddie McGuire has painted a picture where the Magpies could steal this year's flag from under everyone's noses. Not many others, however, are seeing things through the same prism as El Presidente.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Brisbane Lions: Perky
Collingwood: Jerky

Western Bulldogs v West Coast, Etihad Stadium – Saturday, April 4

The Bulldogs were easily the most impressive team on the weekend, handily beating Collingwood by 61 points on Saturday night.

There has been plenty of bark from the Bulldogs over summer, with the mega Tom Boyd signing and club president Peter Gordon outspoken about seemingly everything. But there's some bite, too, and some of the swift and skilful ball movement was reminiscent of Hawthorn circa 2013-14, which is no surprise given new coach Luke Beveridge's involvement with that team.

The Bulldogs have a heap of watchable players, none more so than Marcus Bontempelli, who if you're looking for an All Australian smoky in 2015, might be it. Already for us neutrals, he gives us a reason to switch on and watch the Bulldogs.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson took umbrage at recent suggestions that his Eagles were flat-track bullies. What better way to put that suggestion to bed than to come to Melbourne to open the season with a win against everybody's new favourite second team?

The Eagles were dealt a massive blow when best and fairest and defensive lynchpin Eric Mackenzie was ruled out for the season. And who knows when Jack Darling will play again? Both leave massive holes in the side, but this opening game will be won and lost in the midfield and West Coast boasts plenty of quality in that part of the ground to be a real show.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Western Bulldogs: Bontiful
West Coast: Missing Mackenzie

St Kilda v Greater Western Sydney, Etihad Stadium – Sunday, April 5

A winnable game for the Saints if they were able to field their best combination but a host of soft-tissue injuries and other dramas will leave them undermanned and underdone against the Giants.

The interest on Sunday and through the season will be watching Paddy McCartin and Hugh Goddard develop, while those who took baby steps last year need to get another 15 to 20 games into them. Luckily for Saints, the club is now well led and under no illusions that they are in the midst of anything other than a long and slow climb back to respectability.

The Giants need to win this one. Their goal is to translate the six-win season of 2014 into around 10 or so this year, with a goal of making the finals in 2016. Still, their best 22 this year looks good on paper and the early signs are that their budding superstar, Jeremy Cameron is back to his All Australian form of two years ago.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
St Kilda: Injury-riddled
GWS: Ryan Griffen, born-again footballer

Adelaide v North Melbourne, Adelaide Oval – Sunday, April 5

When asked over summer what would be different about Adelaide in 2015, all new coach Phil Walsh would offer was, "You'll know it when you see it."

Well, we saw glimpses of it during Saturday's NAB Challenge clash against Port Adelaide and we liked it. There it was, manic pressure by the Crows on the opposition and a real commitment to keeping the ball locked in inside their forward line.

They'll need that part of their game working to unseat the Kangaroos, who move the ball as well as any team in the competition. Last year's preliminary finalists look strong again, with Shaun Higgins across from the Western Bulldogs to add further polish and Jarrad Waite to bolster a forward line bursting with tall options. Some good footballers won't be getting regular games for North this year.

This is the sort of game that could create some real momentum for the winner. It shapes to be hugely entertaining.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Adelaide: Bringing the heat
North Melbourne: Selection headaches

Fremantle v Port Adelaide, Domain Stadium – Sunday, April 5

No need for either side to do much forward scouting ahead of this one. They played each other twice in four weeks at the close of last season, both times at Subiaco. This will be the rubber match.

The Dockers have braced themselves for a searching start to the season that features Port (home), Geelong (away), West Coast (the away team in the derby) and the Sydney Swans (home). Veterans Matthew Pavlich, Luke McPharlin and Aaron Sandilands have featured prominently in the NAB Challenge in anticipation of the brutal opening month.

They have significant injury concerns but importantly, everyone's Brownlow fancy Nat Fyfe and the mercurial Michael Walters are in mid-season form. Let's hope the form continues, because they're the game-breakers that can transform Freo from good to great.

Port also is waiting for the anti-doping tribunal to reach its conclusion before settling its line-up for the opening round. Essendon alumni Paddy Ryder and Angus Monfries are both key inclusions – Ryder because of his versatility both in the ruck and up forward and Monfries because he can jag a goal or two a game. Port hasn't played with quite the full deck through the pre-season and battled against Adelaide on the weekend, but remains the premiership tip of many, given the obvious improvement still to come.

A loss to the Dockers away won't be catastrophic for the Power by any stretch, but imagine the shudders it will send through the rest of the competition if they win there again.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Fremantle: Relentless
Port Adelaide: Improvement needed

Hawthorn v Geelong, MCG – Sunday, April 6

Perhaps in footy, you really can just flick a switch. Stand-in coach Brendan Bolton said ahead of their final NAB Challenge clash against St Kilda that it was time for the Hawks to raise the intensity and 100 minutes later they had beaten the Saints (admittedly very undermanned) by 106 points.

The result suggests Hawthorn is master of its fate this year. It has the deepest and most talented list in the competition and the best coach. If the motivation levels are where they should be, then the three-peat is a distinct possibility.

But first come the Cats. There will be no writing of any obituaries for Geelong, at least not in this column any time soon. Concerns about scoring power and pace at the end of last year seem to have been addressed with the recruitment of Mitch Clark and Nakia Cockatoo, who looks as accomplished at the level as did a young Cyril Rioli back in the summer of 2008.

But that's not the match-up we'd like to see on Easter Monday. Yes, the Stawell Gift will be run that afternoon, but put Cockatoo and Bradley Hill on the same wing at the MCG and that will be the clash of the speedsters that will have tongues wagging.

NAB Challenge in a nutshell
Hawthorn: Return of the Jed-i
Geelong: Ticked every box