LILYDALE
LAST SEASON: Premiers.
COACH: Andrew McLean.
INS: Kade Haines (returning), Jarrod McLellan (Hillwood).
OUTS: Thane Bardenhagen, Jake Tuckerman, Beau Tuthill (South Launceston), Josh Holton (Rocherlea), Jamie Rayner (Hillwood).
EXPECTATIONS: It will be a different-looking Lilydale outfit that takes to the field for round 1 tomorrow with the Demons suffering an exodus of players from last season losing 15 senior players and 11 from last year's premiership side.
"There has been a big turnover of players from last season so it's hard to say how we will go," coach Andrew McLean said.
"We'd love to say we could go back-to-back but with so many outs and losses it's a bit strange to say you are coming off a premiership and going into a rebuilding phase."
ROUND 1: "No one knows what the opposition sides will be like but Evandale will be pretty strong again and one of the yardstick sides for the next few years that everyone will be measuring themselves against," McLean said.
EVANDALE
LAST SEASON: Runners-up.
COACH: Neville Rattray.
INS: James Conroy (Fingal), Andrew Swain (Fingal), Adam Aberle (South Launceston)
OUTS: James Miller (NSW), Todd Grima (SANFL).
EXPECTATIONS: "There haven't been too many recruits even though our side will look a little bit different because we are going to give some young fellows an opportunity from around the club," coach Neville Rattray said.
"There's a good feeling and energy around the group and we've had a couple of good practice games and there are some good signs but you don't know until you get into the real stuff."
ROUND 1: "We've got a couple of players who aren't right to go with Damien Smith having an ankle injury, Ryan Johnson is a similar thing and we won't have him.
Roy Thomas has a week of suspension to serve and a couple of others are unavailable at this stage but will be back after Easter."
FINGAL
LAST SEASON: Fourth.
CAPTAIN-COACH: Matthew Lowe.
INS: Luke French (Launceston), Gavin Love (Perth), Cameron Bugg (Bracknell), Brent Goodyer (St Helens), Matt Williams (Perth), Mitch Stagg, Kaleb Laycock, Trent Davis, Bodie Lucas (Longford), Sean Stevenson (retirement), Ben Haywood (mainland), Todd Spilsbury (returning).
OUTS: James Conroy (Evandale), Jade Jordan (retired), Brodie Frost, Nathan Lowe (Uni-Mowbray).
EXPECTATIONS: "Obviously it will take a little bit of time for us to gel together with about 12 or 13 new players," Fingal coach Matthew Lowe said.
"We've played a few practice matches to try to get the game plan into the new blokes.
"We finished fourth last year and the goal is to improve on that position."
ROUND 1: "This week we have 11 players out or missing so it's a case of just trying to win as best we can," he said.
UNI-MOWBRAY
LAST SEASON: Sixth.
PLAYING COACH: Nathan Lowe.
INS: Adam McDermott, Anthony Crowden (Devonport), Will Cleland (Launceston), Brodie Frost (Fingal), Josh Oliver (Old Scotch).
OUTS: Nathan Carr (QLD), Michael Aram (retired), Isaac and Amos Peters (OLs).
EXPECTATIONS: "It's been a nice change taking on a coaching role again and the club's been very welcoming," coach Nathan Lowe said.
"We've had a really good pre- season and have all of the university kids back now and big numbers on the track, which is positive."
ROUND 1: "Matthew Wilson is sidelined with a shoulder injury," he said.
"We have to go out to my old stamping ground at Fingal after playing there for 21 years so it should be a very interesting welcome."
OLD SCOTCH
LAST SEASON: Third.
COACH: Kim Curtis.
INS: James Black, Fletcher Seymour (school), Alex Clark, Sam Brill (George Town), George Walker (Wynyard), Andy Henry (South-Prospect), Jack Chorley (Launceston), Jack Gibson, Sam Tucker, Will Tatchell (returning).
OUTS: Alec Fotheringham, Alex McKenzie (mainland), Ryland Coombe (South L'ton).
EXPECTATIONS: "We are looking forward to a pretty good year and like most years we will have a few missing early but we should have a younger side this year with a few older ones to come back ," coach Kim Curtis said.
"We finished third last year and I was disappointed we didn't make the grand final with the form we had but we probably didn't have the hunger last year.
"We've got that back now so I'm looking forward to playing finals again."
ROUND 1: "Jack Gibson, Charlie and Duncan White will miss with weddings and about eight altogether are out.
"South-Prospect will be a tough game and have recruited pretty heavily by the sound of it but we've recruited well too so it should be a good start to the season."
TAMAR CATS
LAST SEASON: Ninth.
PLAYING COACH: Joe Hammond.
INS: Nathan Croft (Ringarooma), Heath Williams, Liam Shegog (Bridgenorth), Jacob Parker (Deloraine), Ryan Letter (Bridgenorth).
OUTS: Nil.
EXPECTATIONS: "We're being realistic about how we will go coming off two really bad years," Cats coach Joe Hammond said.
"We have a goal of playing finals but don't expect to be silly and say we will make the top three or anything like that."
ROUND 1: "This is the first time I've coached so I'm excited and looking forward to getting the first game out of the way," Hammond said.
"It's a must-win game for us and we fully expect to win this game but we have a few out for different reasons including Tyler Bain, Simon Dingemanse, Dylan Hepburn and Michael Brooks."
OLD LAUNCESTONIANS
LAST SEASON: Seventh.
COACH: Jarrah Burns (playing) and Clayton Nettlefold.
INS: Joe Dale (Bracknell), Isaac, Amos and Lachie Peters (Uni), Sam Kerrison (Scottsdale), Luke Shaw (Winnaleah), Josh Gibson, David Thomas (Rocherlea), Lucas Show (Ringarooma).
OUTS: Sam Luck (army), Ramesh Sundra (year off).
EXPECTATIONS: "We've recruited quite heavily and we won't put any pressure on ourselves but finals is the aim as it was last year," coach Jarrah Burns said.
ROUND 1: Lucas Show has hurt his knee and will possibly miss against St Pats.
"The clash will show where both teams are at early in the season because they have recruited a lot."
ST PATS
LAST SEASON: Fifth.
INS: Josh Bellchambers (Bridgenorth), Jake Lowe, Sean Barry, Kane Stewart (Hillwood), Tom Grimes (Lilydale), Matty Barwick (Hobart), Brodie and Nick Langley (Bracknell).
OUTS: Rhys Munn (Adelaide).
EXPECTATIONS: "We've added some depth to our club and have a good young group of kids," St Pats coach Lenny Towns said.
"It's been a good pre-season and we want to play finals again and improve on our fifth spot but we expect some stiff competition."
ROUND 1: " Todd Rattray is unavailable for our opening game but apart from that we're right to go," he said.
SOUTH-PROSPECT
LAST SEASON: Eighth.
INS: Leigh Coonan (Perth), Dan Sinclair (St Helens), Michael Sinclair (Launceston), Nick McElwee, Josh Waldie (Bridgenorth), Will Stoltenberg (St Helens).
OUTS: Robbie Lade (Scottsdale Crows), Nathan Bosworth (Mole Creek), Nick Holland (QLD).
EXPECTATIONS: " We have about 18 new players of which 10 or 11 will be in the seniors this week," South-Prospect coach Wayne Kirby said.
"We've had a good pre-season, we're very pleased with our recruiting and hope to improve again."
ROUND 1: "Old Scotch are always a well-coached and a competitive unit so the opening game should be a really good game regardless of the weather and a really good yard- stick for us," he said.
The Examiner was unable to contact Perth coach Anthony Gibbons.