Josh Jenkins has already revealed that he has three teams falling out of the eight for the 2023 season, but who replaces them?
With Fremantle, Richmond and Sydney coming out, Jenkins has picked three teams to bolt up in Carlton, Gold Coast and West Coast.
The Blues sat inside the top four at the halfway mark of the 2022 season before injuries battered them across the ground.
Jenkins believes that if Carlton has their best side fit and firing, they will be tough to beat.
“Carlton with health are definitely in. If they get 20 games from Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow … there is no way they miss the finals,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“They were 8-2 last year and playing as good as anyone else. The train was off the tracks by the end of the year because of injuries.
“They could go right up and into the top four, the Blues.”
As for the Suns, a team that has never played finals, Jenkins believes they finally have what it takes to break their duck.
“For the first time ever! Gold Coast can jump up and in and make the eight,” he said.
“Ben King returns. Now, we’re not going to ask him to kick 60 straight up, but he’s capable.
“They found something last year with Levi Casboult and Mabior Chol. They’ve got to work out whether they can play all three. They’ll start with all three.
“They’ve got an excellent midfield group, but they’ve got to find one or two more. Their mids play 80 per cent game time. It’s a heavy reliance on one or two players, they’ve got to find one or two more.”
No team was hit harder by the pandemic than West Coast, with the Eagles derailed immediately in 2022.
They only won two games for the season, but Jenkins sees it as a complete aberration.
“This team was ravaged by injury and coronavirus, West Coast. I’ve got them jumping back up,” the former Crow said.
“We saw it with Collingwood. The Eagles have been disengaged for a couple of years and they can jump back up and finish eighth.
“They’ve got Oscar Allen back who teams up with Jack Darling as a one-two punch in the forward line.
“They’ve got Tom Barrass who had an outstanding season down back. They’ve got a good backline. Jeremy McGovern tells us he’s had the best pre-season of his life. He’s got one last All-Australian in him.
“Nic Naitanui has some Achilles soreness, they’ll need him up and going. They’ve got some home grown talent who might jump out of the ground and play senior footy early and they’ve looked good in the pre-season.
“It’s the season of positivity! Everyone has a right to feel great about their team. Why can’t West Coast jump back up? They’ve had plenty of excuses and reasons why they’ve struggled over the last few years.”