With the AFL home-and-away season kicking off last night, mojonews.com.au sports editor LACHLAN CASSIDY gives his tips on what teams are in finals contention and calls out those that barely have a chance. 

Adelaide
Ladder prediction: 8
MVP: Rory Sloane
Adelaide’s new coach Phil Walsh inherited a young side that is talented enough to make a charge for finals football after falling a win short of the top eight in 2014. Adelaide boasts skill in its line-up, with ball-winners Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane and Scott Thompson set to provide new captain Taylor Walker with quick deliveries.

Brisbane
Ladder prediction: 9
MVP: Daniel Rich
Despite an influx of talent in new recruits Dayne Beams from Collingwood, Allen Christensen from Geelong, and Mitch Robinson from Carlton, popular opinion still holds that the Brisbane Lions won’t make finals. But with young stars Dayne Zorko, Lewis Taylor, and Daniel Rich, coach Justin Leppitsh has laid the foundations for silencing the critics.

Carlton
Ladder prediction: 14
MVP: Bryce Gibbs
Mick Malthouse’s milestone in coaching the most AFL matches will be Carlton’s focus during the season’s opening, as he is set to outdo Jock McHale’s 714 matches in Round 5 against his former side Collingwood. But the Blues should focus on its ageing list, which includes key players Bryce Gibbs, Chris Judd, and Marc Murphy. The side will continue to fall down the ladder until its young players – including Sam Docherty and Troy Menzel – can win matches.

Collingwood
Ladder prediction: 12
MVP: Scott Pendlebury
Collingwood intends to earn back respect it lost in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons with a finals appearance. It will need to find another talented forward to assist Travis Cloke and Jamie Elliott to remain competitive. While both Elliot and Cloke have proven they’re capable of winning matches, their inconsistency might cost the Magpies a place in the finals.

Essendon
Ladder prediction: 11
MVP: Dyson Heppell
Essendon face a tough start to the season, clashing with six of last season’s top eight sides in the opening 10 rounds. The Bombers forward line was plagued with inconsistency in 2014, adding to its woes. Leaders Jobe Watson, Paul Chapman, Brendon Goddard, Dustin Fletcher, and new recruit Adam Cooney will struggle to see their side to finals.

Freemantle
Ladder prediction: 5
MVP: Nat Fyfe
This season is Fremantle’s last shot at a premiership in the near future, because four of its key position players are over the age of 30, including forward Matthew Pavlich, ruckman Aaron Sandilands, and defenders Luke McPharlin and Ryan Crowley. These players are known for their relentless pressure in defence, while their run and attack has waned with their years. Young midfielder Nathan Fyfe is tipped to be a future Brownlow Medallist after winning the AFL Players’ Association MVP Award, Fremantle’s Best and Fairest in 2014, and is currently favourite to win the Brownlow Medal in 2015 with betting agencies, but this season the Dockers needs its ageing stars for a premiership.

Geelong
Ladder prediction: 6
MVP: Mitch Clark
Geelong has the star power to compete against the best sides, with premiership players Jimmy Bartel, Steve Johnson, and Joel Selwood still at the top of their game. Forward Tom Hawkins continues to be a dominant force, kicking 68 goals in 24 matches in 2014. But it’s hard to see the side in the Grand Final despite a strong addition in forward Mitch Clark, who starred in the NAB Challenge.

Gold Coast
Ladder prediction: 4
MVP: Gary Ablett
It’s Gold Coast’s season to prove they aren’t the easy side to beat, as they were when first entering the competition in 2011 with only three wins. The side was likely to play its first finals last season after winning 10 matches, but suffered a major setback when Gary Ablett injured his shoulder. Gold Coast no longer needs rely solely on Ablett’s ball-winning clearances to win matches, because it has developed players who can share the workload, including midfielders Jaeger O’Meara and Alex Sexton, and ruckman Zac Smith.

Greater Western Sydney
Ladder prediction: 13
MVP: Jeremy Cameron
Greater Western Sydney has 19 first round draft picks, while 32 of its players are aged 20-25. Intelligent recruiting that saw GWS collect experienced premiership players Shane Mumford, Heath Shaw, and Josh Hunt in 2013 and 2014 helped it to six wins last season. Young talents such as Jeremy Cameron, Jonathan Patton, Adam Treloar, and Stephen Coniglio will continue to improve during the 2015 season, bolstering GWS’s forward line and midfield.

Hawthorn
Ladder prediction: 1
MVP: Bradley Hill
Hawthorn has a chance to be among the great teams of the modern era in winning three consecutive premierships. Its superb playing list has been bolstered with new additions James Frawley and Jonathan O’Rourke, while young stars Bradley Hill, Will Langford, and Jed Anderson have shown they are more than capable during the NAB Challenge.

Melbourne
Ladder prediction: 16
MVP: Nathan Jones
Last season Paul Roos began to reteach basic skills to a young Melbourne side. It saw the Demons advance from two wins in 2013 to four in 2014. With another pre-season under Roos, the Demons will further improve, but will struggle to compete with skilled sides that are in finals contention. First round draft pick Christian Petracca shows promise for the Demons’ future, despite the side suffering a heavy loss in James Frawley last year.

North Melbourne
Ladder prediction: 7
MVP: Scott Thompson
North Melbourne’s premiership window is open, but the side needs to charge for it this season. It has talent in Brent Harvey and Drew Petrie, along with younger players Scott Thompson and Ben Brown, who helped the Kangaroos beat all top four sides during last year’s home and away season.

Port Adelaide
Ladder prediction: 2
MVP: Robbie Gray
Port Adelaide was unfortunate to fall short of a 2014 Grand Final appearance after making an incredible comeback against Hawthorn in the preliminary final. This comeback shows the threat Port Adelaide poses in the 2015 season. Coach Ken Hinkley has instilled a fighting spirit in this young side that will labour to win matches until the final siren. Young talent such as Robbie Gray, Hamish Hartlett, Ollie Wines, and Chad Wingard will help take the side deep into finals this season.

Richmond
Ladder prediction: 10
MVP: Brett Deledio
Richmond’s 2014 season was a rollercoaster for its fans and players. It was grim for the Tigers after only winning three matches in the first half of the season, but it fought back to win nine consecutive matches to make finals. Richmond has the potential in its playing group to qualify for finals, but it will struggle with this season’s tight competition.

St. Kilda
Ladder prediction: 18
MVP: Paddy McCartin
St Kilda fans should prepare for a dull two or three seasons, because their side is in a rebuilding phase. The 2014 wooden spooner’s first round draft pick Paddy McCartin shows promise for the future, but without experienced on-field leaders, it’s likely the Saints will cop the wooden spoon again.

Sydney
Ladder prediction: 3
MVP: Lance Franklin
Sydney will look for an explosive start to the 2015 season, re-establishing itself as a premiership contender after losing last season’s Grand Final to Hawthorn. Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett are the most talented and expensive forward line in the competition and will carry Sydney to finals in 2015. Dan Hannebery, Kieran Jack, Josh Kennedy, Adam Goodes and Ben McGlynn add to a talented list that was last year’s minor premier.

West Coast
Ladder prediction: 15
MVP: Josh Kennedy
Injuries topped off a tough 2014 season for West Coast, crushing its hopes to make finals after winning 11 matches. The Eagles will remain competitive if it has a fit side, but over-reliance on Josh Kennedy at goal-front and an ageing list will be its downfall in 2015.

Western Bulldogs
Ladder prediction: 17
MVP: Robert Murphy
Western Bulldogs will continue to struggle this season after the young side lost its captain and coach last year. But with new captain Bob Murphy and coach Luke Beveridge – who learnt from Hawthorn dual-premiership winning coach Alistair Clarkson – the Bulldogs will be in a similar position to Melbourne and St Kilda. While the side might lose most matches, the young players will gain crucial match experience that will enable them to contend for premierships in future seasons.