At a glance: Variation central! One coach thinks they will be minor premiers. Two think they will miss finals entirely! Strong all over the ground, with perhaps a small question over the forward line, the newly re-named Love Sparkles are the enigma of the comp.
Coaches prediction:
1st: 1 coach
3rd: 1 coach
4th: 3 coaches
5th: 1 coach
7th: 2 coaches
Projected best 22:
| Pos | Player | Proj. |
| B | Jake Lloyd SY – B | 92 |
| B | Jeremy Howe CW – B | 88.8 |
| B | Luke McDonald NM – B,C | 85.3 |
| B | Josh Smith CW – B | 83.9 |
| B | Matthew Suckling WB – B | 78.3 |
| B | Jeremy McGovern WC – B | 77.5 |
| C | Marc Murphy CA – C | 108.5 |
| C | Rory Sloane AD – C | 108 |
| C | Tom Rockliff PA – C | 104.6 |
| C | David Zaharakis ES – C | 100.5 |
| C | Callan Ward GWS – C | 95.2 |
| C | Jack Steele SK – C | 93.7 |
| C | Dom Tyson ME – C | 90.1 |
| C | Jack Redden WC – C | 87.4 |
| R | Todd Goldstein NM – R | 85.4 |
| F | Toby Greene GWS – F | 93.5 |
| F | Mitch Robinson BL – C,F | 83.1 |
| F | Jarryd Roughead HW – F | 82.8 |
| F | Jesse Hogan ME – F | 80.4 |
| F | Rhys Mathieson BL – C,F | 75.7 |
| F | Luke Breust HW – F | 72 |
| UTL | Koby Stevens SK – C | 86.3 |
| 1953 |
The MVP: Tom Rockliff. The number 1 pick in the inaugural draft has had a tumultuous two years. Twice traded, and over ten games missed through injury. But when he has played, he’s scored well. Very well. Two coaches think he is in line for the Dangergawn in 2018, despite not having made an appearance during the pre-season.
The Breakout Candidate: Rhys Mathieson. The Lions’ midfielder will be hoping to occupy a Rocky sized hole in the midfield. While also playing alongside Rockliff at the Love Sparkles. But in the forward line. This is all very confusing.
The Bottom Line: A strong midfield, and arguably the best defence – now that injury and position changes have spared us from the Chiefs’ vaunted backline of 2017. The forward line is perhaps the only segment of the ground where questions lay. There’s no shortage of talent there, but between Robinson, Mathieson, Roughead and Hogan, it’s looking a little boom or bust. If it’s boom, well, the coach who picked them for the minor premiership may be on the money.