Let's start at Punt Road and one of the big stories of the year. Will Damien Hardwick still be Richmond coach by the end of the season?  

JP: Hardwick is contracted until the end of 2018, but there is no doubt he is under immense pressure heading into this season. The Tigers have undergone major transformation in their football department, and there has been change at board level. This leaves the focus primarily on the coach and whether he can extract more from a list, which had admittedly made the finals three years in a row before last year's disappointment when they used 41 players – the most of any club.

DC: It's hard to know quite what to expect from Richmond, and perhaps harder to know what they expect internally, which is crucial to Hardwick's future. This is a club that won eight games in 2016 and subsequently lost its most statistically important player in Brett Deledio. They desperately need more goalkicking support for Jack Riewoldt.

Over at the Holden Centre, will Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley survive and earn a contract extension?

JP: I'll back him in but, like Hardwick, early wins are imperative. Buckley put it on record on SEN radio that if the Pies don't make the finals this year, his time will be up. He has rebuilt the list in the style he desired and there can be no more excuses that this side is still cast in the shadow of the Malthouse 2010 premiership side. Their form in the second half of last season was far better than the first half.

DC: I'm bullish about the Pies. Their injury list last year was wretched, with Champion Data determining that they were the fourth-worst affected club in the competition. Admittedly they won't get Dane Swan back, but full seasons from Jamie Elliott, Darcy Moore, Taylor Adams and Travis Varcoe, plus the addition of Daniel Wells (providing he is fit) should catapult them back into the eight and secure Buckley's future.

What do you make of the Hawks' stunning call to move on two premiership stars and sign Jaeger O'Meara?

JP: If O'Meara struggles to regularly get on the park, Alastair Clarkson's reputation may take a slight hit. The Hawks won 17 matches last season but fell from No.1 to No.6 in scoring, from No.1 to No.12 in scoring from stoppages and scores per inside 50 slipped. A fit O'Meara will add dash and class, while Tom Mitchell provides the grunt. For the Hawks to extend their winning era, the decision to pursue O'Meara and Mitchell was worth the call.

DC: Hawthorn won six games by single-digit margins last year. That's not sustainable. O'Meara is a special talent but his fitness is clearly the big query. Even then I'm unconvinced about their depth. The pressure should increase on players like Will Langford, who has stalled since his brilliant back half of 2014, and No. 2 draft pick Jono O'Rourke.

Speaking of Hawthorn, what can we expect from Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell at their new clubs?

JP: Lewis will provide grunt and experience in the Melbourne midfield, providing great help for Nathan Jones and Jack Viney. Mitchell's experience and no-nonsense approach – not to mention his ball-winning ability – should be welcomed in what was a flaky Eagles unit last season.

DC: I think you're being a little bit harsh on the Eagles to label them "flaky", but we'll let that through to the keeper for now. Mitchell is still a gun, and has never relied on his pace, so age is unlikely to weary him. I think he will almost neutralise the loss the of Nic Naitanui to injury for most of the season. I'm a little less certain about Lewis who looks to be in gradual decline, not to mention the Demons are well stocked with inside midfielders.

How good will it be when Bob Murphy returns?

JP: Luke Beveridge's decision to hand over his premiership medal to his fallen skipper last season was one of the more touching moments seen in years. It highlighted how much Murphy is loved in the football industry. Here's hoping he returns strongly from a knee reconstruction and gets the opportunity of truly joining in the celebrations.

DC: It's going to be great, and while it's intangible I do wonder whether the lure of "getting a flag for Bob" will help the Dogs guard against a premiership hangover.

What about the Bombers? Top four? Top eight? No finals?

JP: Club insiders believe this reinvigorated squad should contend for a top-eight spot, and it will be considered a failed season if they don't. The byproduct of last year's mass suspensions was that players like Darcy Parish, Michael Hartley and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti were given matches and game time they otherwise may not have got. Just how the banned players perform will be intriguing, for some may not have been on the list had the drugs saga not meant they were given contract extensions.

DC: This is a club that hasn't won a final in more than a decade, yet still has the fifth oldest and fifth most experienced list in in the competition. Are Essendon's older players good enough to contend against teams like the Bulldogs and GWS? The fans deserve some reward for a torrid half a decade, but I'm not convinced they'll get it.

What do you expect from Bryce Gibbs and the rebuilding Blues?

JP: It shapes as another tough year for Blues supporters, although the expected defeats will be eased should Jacob Weitering, Charlie Curnow, Jack Silvagni and Harry McKay continue to develop. The Blues have 25 players on their list who have less than 50 games – the most of any team. That the Gibbs deal with the Crows failed to eventuate is a good thing in the short term, for the Blues could not afford to have lost class through the midfield.

DC: Carlton somehow went 6-5 over the first half of last season, which could be considered miraculous given how low external expectations were at the start of the year. That was ultimately unsustainable, and Blues fans should merely hope to see the team remain reasonably competitive this year, without expecting too many wins. Kicking goals is their issue. Champion Data had Carlton ranking last for offensive efficiency in 2016.

Do you expect Dustin Martin and Nat Fyfe to remain at Richmond and Fremantle respectively?

JP: I would be surprised if both men don't remain at their current clubs. Martin did not want to leave in 2013 when he effectively was dragged by his agent to meet with Greater Western Sydney officials in Sydney. The Tigers insist the latest round of contract negotiations aren't on hold until the end of the season. Martin is a restricted free agent, so the Tigers could match any offer. As for Fyfe, he turned down a seven-year offer from a rival club in 2014 to stay, and says a deal will be "sorted" out this year with the Dockers. He is also a restricted free agent.

DC: I think Martin will stay, and get the sense that the stalling is just posturing from his agent Ralph Carr. However if the Tigers have a poor season Martin would be more likely to leave, so it's important Richmond can sell hope for the future. I'm less convinced about Fyfe, with strong murmurings that St Kilda have prepared a "war chest" to land the Brownlow medallist.

Can the Cats find someone to ease the load on Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood?

JP: Too much was left to Dangerfield and Selwood in the midfield last season, and that was exposed brutally by the Swans in the preliminary final. Steven Motlop spent more time forward last year but has continued to build his tank over summer, and has made it clear he wants to spend more time on the ball.

DC:The microscope should be placed on Mark Blicavs, Cameron Guthrie and particularly Mitch Duncan – all of whom were rated only "average" by Champion Data in a pre-season prospectus. With Josh Caddy having become a Tiger, more needs to come from this trio to support ''Dangerwood''.

The expectations are rising at St Kilda and Melbourne. Where to from here?

JP: They remain two of the more intriguing squads, and it's time each vaulted into the top eight after years of rebuilding. Saints coach Alan Richardson says he needs to get better on match day, adopting a more calm and clearer mantra with his assistants to ensure the right moves are made at the right time. The Saints must also learn to win on the road. Simon Goodwin has had time under Paul Roos but it's unknown how he will handle the hot seat.

DC: I'm more optimistic about Melbourne long-term given the strength of their players aged 25 and under. The Saints have tried a lot of young players, but still remained reasonably reliant on players 26 and over. They need two or three of the likes of Seb Ross, Blake Acres, Paddy McCartin and Jack Billings to turn into genuine stars.

Will North Melbourne tumble?

JP: It appears that way, for the premiership window is closed. That they won their opening nine matches last season but then dropped 10 of the next 13 when their ball movement and scoring off turnovers fell away was astounding. They were too easily scored against even when they were winning. The decision to let the veterans go was the right call, although the manner in which Brent Harvey was handled was poor. The Roos need to get games into their youngsters.

DC: North are the clear candidate from last year's top eight to fall out of the finals in 2017. Worryingly they still got a fair bit from their older group in 2016. This looks like a rebuild. The question is: will Brad Scott be backed in if the losses start stacking up?

On to money matters. Can the new collective bargaining agreement be nutted out without further agitation?

JP: The players remain steadfast in their belief they want a set-percentage model of revenue but it's going to be difficult for them to win a public relations battle for the average wage of a player in 2015 was above $300,000 for the first time. The players are fighting the good fight, and there's more to their case than simply revenue, but until the AFLPA no longer relies on revenue from the AFL, it's really difficult to see them taking the ultimate stand and striking.

DC: The players keep talking a big game – with Scott Pendlebury and Jack Riewoldt the latest to flag industrial action. But I'll believe it when I see it.

Give me your top eight, premier and Brownlow

JP: Greater Western Sydney, Western Bulldogs, Geelong, West Coast Eagles, Adelaide, Sydney, Hawthorn, St Kilda. Premier: GWS. Brownlow medallist: It's back-to-back gongs for Patrick Dangerfield.

DC: GWS, Bulldogs, Sydney, West Coast, Collingwood, Melbourne, Adelaide, Geelong, with the Dogs to go back to back. I'm backing Marcus Bontempelli for the Brownlow.