IT IS a brave punter who suggests Geelong will not figure prominently when it comes to September.

As their record-breaking 2007 season showed, the Cats were well out in front and they still had enough quality players left over to win the VFL premiership as well.

So what's going to change this year? There are a couple of notable losses in ruckman Steven King and Nathan Ablett, but any team that has Gary Ablett jnr, 2007 Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel, Brad Ottens, Steve Johnson and youngster Joel Selwood will be hard to beat.

If they can get over the injuries that plagued them last season, the Saints can be the major threat. The recruitment of King and Charlie Gardiner from Geelong, Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster from Sydney (and the Swans' fitness guru, Dave Misson), as well as the return of Fraser Gehrig from a short-lived retirement augurs well for Ross Lyon's second season in charge.

Hawthorn are likely to be thereabouts again when it comes to the top four, and Fremantle will fulfil all the promise they have threatened to show for the past three or four seasons.

As for the rest of the eight, the bottom four could end up in any order. Sydney will be around the mark but need a good run with injuries, and it will be a new and interesting era for West Coast without Chris Judd and Ben Cousins. Collingwood, too, will be pushing for a top-four place, if their youngsters can take another step forward, and beaten 2007 grand finalists Port Adelaide also have the cattle to make the top four.

Of the remainder, Brisbane, Adelaide, Essendon, the Kangaroos, Western Bulldogs and even the Baby Blues under Judd are capable of forcing their way into the eight.

As for Melbourne and Richmond, three words … another long year.

COWLEY'S EIGHT

St Kilda

Hawthorn

Fremantle

Sydney

West Coast

Collingwood

Port Adelaide