Opening Round kicks off on Thursday and the pre-season has provided plenty of answers, but certain questions can't be answered until the real stuff starts.
Zero Hanger has outlined a topic likely to garner plenty of discussion at each club in the first month of the season.
17Brisbane Lions
How does Brisbane replace Starcevich?
The natural answer is to say the Lions have an embarrassment of riches and won't be affected by one departure. Noah Answerth missed last year's premiership and is a perfect like-for-like replacement for Starcevich, who has departed for West Coast. But expecting one player to step into a role held by the best small lockdown defender in the league is expecting too much. The Lions will need to adjust and ensure they aren't relying on the sort of one-on-one wins and bravery Starcevich continually delivered. Rhylee West, Tom Papley, Jack Higgins and Jamie Elliott are the first four premier small forwards that the Lions defence will face and each will feel there is more of an opening in the Lions defence than last year, given Starcevich's departure.
