The WAtoday panel:
Kim Hagdorn (WAtoday's actual football expert); Justin Rake (long-suffering Fremantle fan), Claire Siracusa (Carlton tragic and eternal optimist), Brendan Foster (our resident grumpy old man); Tim Carrier (the office football addict); David Prestipino (wine-ing footy tragic).

Top eight (in ladder order):

• Hagdorn: GWS, Sydney, West Coast, Geelong, Bulldogs, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Melbourne
• ???Rake: Sydney, GWS, Hawthorn, West Coast, Geelong, Adelaide, Bulldogs, Richmond
• Siracusa: GWS, Sydney, Bulldogs, Hawthorn, Adelaide, West Coast, St Kilda, Geelong
• Foster: Sydney, West Coast, Adelaide, GWS, Bulldogs, Hawthorn, St Kilda, Geelong
• Carrier: Sydney, West Coast, GWS, Geelong, Bulldogs, Hawthorn, St Kilda, Adelaide
• Presto: Sydney, GWS, Hawthorn, Geelong, West Coast, Bulldogs, St Kilda, Adelaide

Premier:

• Hagdorn: Sydney
• ???Rake: Sydney
• Siracusa: GWS
• Foster: Sydney
• Carrier: West Coast
• Presto: Sydney

The Eagles will finish:

• Hagdorn: 3rd (losing Preliminary finalists)
• ???Rake: 4th (losing Preliminary finalists)
• Siracusa: 6th (losing Semi-finalists)
• Foster: 2nd losing Grand Finalists
• Carrier: Premiers
• Presto: 4th (losing Preliminary finalists)

The Dockers will finish:

• Hagdorn: 12th
• ???Rake: 12th
• Siracusa: 10th
• Foster: 18th
• Carrier: 14th
• Presto: equal 9th (with Melbourne)

Wooden spoon:

• Hagdorn: Carlton
• ???Rake: Brisbane
• Siracusa: Brisbane
• Foster: Fremantle
• Carrier: Brisbane
• Presto: Brisbane

Brownlow Medal:

• Hagdorn: Adam Treloar
• ???Rake: Rory Sloane
• Siracusa: Marcus Bontempelli
• Foster: Andrew Gaff
• Carrier: Josh Kennedy (Sydney)
• Presto: Marcus Bontempelli

Coleman Medal:

• Hagdorn: Josh Kennedy (West Coast)
• ???Rake: Jeremy Cameron
• Siracusa: Lance Franklin
• Foster: Josh Kennedy
• Carrier: Josh Kennedy
• Presto: Jarryd Roughead

Going places:

• Hagdorn: Tom Lynch (Gold Coast)
• ???Rake: Darcy Tucker (Fremantle)
• Siracusa: Dion Prestia (Richmond)
• Foster: Isaac Heeney (Sydney)
• Carrier: Josh Kelly (GWS)
• Presto: Jack Billings (St Kilda) and Orazio Fantasia (Essendon)

Put a fork in him, he's done:

• Hagdorn: Scott Thompson (Adelaide)
• ???Rake: Mark LeCras
• Siracusa: Travis Cloke
• Foster: Luke Hodge
• Carrier: Dale Thomas
• Presto: Eddie McGuire (not a player, but he thinks he is so fair game)

Headline you'll definitely read:

• Hagdorn: AFL confirm twilight Grand Final
• ???Rake: Baby come back: Fans in tears after Cometti-less Friday night panel becomes reality
• Siracusa: More controversy over off-season rule changes
• Foster: Ross Lyon sacked as Dockers 'restump, rewire and replumb' coaching panel
• Carrier: Fan outrage at AFL after Eagles, Dockers free-to-air away game delays
• Presto: The Buck stops with Nathan: Pies sack coach

Headline you'd like to read:

• Hagdorn: Fremantle Dockers storm back into final eight
• ???Rake: Baby came back: Cometti gives into pressure, returns to calling AFL
• Siracusa: AFL Women's players get pay boost for 2018
• Foster: Hair-razoring issue for Dockers captain: Nat Fyfe has nits
• Carrier: Name the double act: Josh Kennedys claim Coleman and Brownlow
• Presto: Bulldogs go back-to-back to give Bob a farewell flag

Will he stay or will he go?

• Hagdorn: The new captain will only stay if his Dockers stay within touch of the top eight throughout the season. Probably a late signing.
• ???Rake: Fremantle have enough money to pay Fyfe above $1 million, he will stay.
• Siracusa: Fyfe will stay.
• Foster: Away from WA, Gary Ablett will go back to the Cats.
• Carrier: The Dockers struggles this season will see speculation mount Fyfe will leave but Fremantle can't afford to lose him so the new captain will stay - even if they have to become the first club in the competition to match a restricted free agent bid.
• Presto: While Nat Fyfe's contract will dominate debate in the west, the focus on the Gold Coast is firmly on Gary Ablett, whose career at the Suns is sure to set. But Fyfe will stay.

Will Nic Nat play in 2017?

• Hagdorn: No. There will be an inordinate amount of hot air on whether Nic Nat will or won't come back somewhere into August or September. Eagles medical staff won't let him play in 2017.
• ???Rake: If the Eagles are situated for a deep run at the end of the year, it will be mighty hard not to play their star ruckman if he's ready to go.
• Siracusa: Nic Nat will be a no show.
• Foster: Nic Nat will be back in round 20.
• Carrier: The club won't risk him, although we might see Nic Nat push to make a rare and controversial WAFL finals appearance in a bid to prove his fitness if the Eagles make the grand final.
• Presto: Who cares about Nic Nat? He will play but the Dockers must get Harley Bennell on the paddock in a meaningful way this season or the risk in drafting him from the Gold Coast two years will be considered a mistake (if it isn't already).

Bold, ambitious prediction for 2017 season:

• Hagdorn: Sydney smash Giants flag dream with a stunning Grand Final performance led by powerhouse Lance Franklin capping an outstanding personal season.
• ???Rake: Ty Vickery actually has fans cheering him on. The former Tiger should suit his new surroundings pretty well and will have better players delivering him the ball. David Hale 2.0? The Hawks will hope so.
• Siracusa: The baby Blues go on a 22-game winning streak and beat out the 2016 Bulldogs for most unexpected grand final win in recent memory.
• Foster: Sam Mitchell ties with Andrew Gaff for the Brownlow and Nat Fyfe won't spend more than 90 seconds in front of the mirror.
• Carrier: The recruitment of Sam Mitchell proves a masterstroke as the Eagles defy the odds to win the flag without Naitanui thanks to an inspirational, Norm-Smith winning performance from the former Hawk.
• Presto: Nic Nat's return late in the season propels West Coast into a preliminary final

What do you think? Are our crack (pot) panel on the right track? Or are they hopelessly out of touch? Leave comment with your thoughts below.