At a glance: Their peers are divided, with one thinking they’ll take the minor premiership, three thinking they’ll just scrape into the last finals spot, and one positing they’ll miss entirely! Can their powerful midfield drive them to their first flag, or will having Justin Westhoff as the lead forward prove fatal?
Coaches prediction:
1st: 1 coach
2nd: 1 coach
3rd: 1 coach
5th: 1 coach
6th: 3 coaches
7th: 1 coach
Projected best 22:
| Pos | Player | Proj. |
| B | Dylan Roberton SK – B | 88.7 |
| B | Bernie Vince ME – B | 81.4 |
| B | Andrew McGrath ES – B | 78.7 |
| B | Tom McDonald ME – B,F | 76.9 |
| B | Dan Houston PA – B | 76.3 |
| B | Aaron Mullett CA – B | 74.3 |
| C | Zach Merrett ES – C | 116.7 |
| C | Dayne Zorko BL – C | 114.8 |
| C | Bryce Gibbs AD – C | 110.6 |
| C | Dayne Beams BL – C | 108.5 |
| C | Dyson Heppell ES – C | 102 |
| C | Jack Steven SK – C | 98.5 |
| C | Dom Sheed WC – C | 86.7 |
| C | Tom Phillips CW – C | 85.1 |
| R | Max Gawn ME – R | 99.2 |
| F | Justin Westhoff PA – C,F | 83 |
| F | Charlie Dixon PA – F | 81.3 |
| F | Taylor Walker AD – F | 79.2 |
| F | Josh Dunkley WB – F | 77.6 |
| F | Steven Motlop PA – C,F | 77.3 |
| F | Cale Hooker ES – F | 74.1 |
| UTL | Patrick Ryder PA – R | 91.7 |
| 1962.6 |
The MVP: Zach Merrett. The young gun narrowly edges out the great Daynes, but deservedly so. Alongside Tom Mitchell and Patrick Dangerfield, Merrett is one of the three standout players in the short history of the competition. He’ll be hoping to join those two by adding a Dangergawn to his locker this year.
The Breakout Candidate: Dom Sheed. A prime candidate to fill a Priddis or Mitchell sized hole in the West Coast midfield, Sheed is well placed to elevate his scoring in 2018 and give coach Burgess seven midfielders averaging 100+
The Bottom Line: A powerful forward line has become a powerful midfield since the debut season, with four players seemingly capable of averaging over 110+. The tail end of the backs and forwards appears a little thin though, which may hinder their premiership charge. Will Patrick Ryder be dangled (again) to try and get support in these parts of the ground? Watch this space.