In the AFL, February and March represent a period of unbridled optimism.

It’s a time of the year where players have apparently achieved never-before-seen fitness levels, and where clubs are refusing to put a ceiling on just how far your team can go.

It’s that wonderfully clichéd, hopelessly optimistic time of the calendar, months out from when the cold reality of winter sets in, before your beleaguered coach is being chased through a car park by a ravenous camera crew.

If there’s a time for unrestrained dreaming, it’s now, when last season’s failures are long in the rear-view mirror and when all 18 clubs are undefeated and in the hunt for September action.

Today, we’ll take a trip through the league, identifying one chief reason why each club should feel good about themselves heading into season 2020.

JOIN THE MAILING LIST: Subscribe to the free mailing list to get the best content delivered straight to your inbox.

ADELAIDE - MATTHEW NICKS

Since getting blown apart in the 2017 Grand Final, the Crows fall from grace has been swift and sharp. They haven’t returned to the Finals since, had one of the most unforgettable off-season camp stories in Australian sporting history and now have a new coach at the helm. In Matthew Nicks, the Crows have their sixth coach in nine years with the South Australian taking over a club most bookies have installed as second favorite to claim the wooden spoon. Crow’s fans will be hoping Nicks can restore some magic to a team who just two seasons ago was the runaway Minor Premier, and who’s 2,415 regular season points that season stands as the best return for any club over the past four years.

BRISBANE - ERIC HIPWOOD

While a different number 30 is currently tearing apart the AFLW for the Brisbane Lions with Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw’s incredible start to the season, Brisbane’s men’s team is hoping their own brilliant key forward can do similar, and propel the Lions to a deeper September run in 2020.

In just four seasons and 75 games, Eric Hipwood has set the table for a potentially brilliant career, however, there’s a certain hollowness to the Queenslander’s numbers, having not yet surpassed 40 goals in a season, nor averaging more than five marks over a single campaign. If Hipwood can add volume and consistency to his unquestioned talent, the sky is the limit on just how far this young Brisbane team can go over the coming years.

CARLTON - THAT MIDFIELD

Patrick Cripps has already announced himself as one of the game’s very best. Sam Walsh just won the Rising Star by the length of the Flemington straight, Charlie Curnow oozes A-Grade talent, while Marc Murphy is still capable of racking up classy possessions in his sleep. The makings are most certainly there of one of the league’s pre-eminent midfields, with many believing this can drag the long-suffering Blues out of the doldrums and perhaps into September calculations. 

Of the ten occasions the Blues won the disposal count in 2019, they won seven games, and lost all 12 matches when they didn’t. This Blues midfield really is the barometer of the team and if it can find another level or two in 2020, Carlton fans might be in for quite a ride.

COLLINGWOOD - JORDAN DE GOEY

If you haven’t noticed Jordan De Goey’s otherworldly talents through his first five seasons and 88 games of football, you haven’t been watching hard enough.

Over the last couple of seasons, the former #5 overall draft pick has taken games by the scruff of the neck, with few in the AFL capable of doing so much from little, with De Goey booting 82 goals over the last two seasons while averaging just 16.5 disposals.

If the still un-signed De Goey is focused and capable of keeping his body in adequate working order, Collingwood fans know he could well be the difference between yet another agonising September exit and perhaps a record-equaling 16^th flag.

ESSENDON - ANTHONY McDONALD TIPUNGWUTI

Precious little has gone right for the Bombers in recent years. They’re still fighting for league respect in the wake of their drugs scandal, while their famous streak of not winning a Finals match has now entered its 16^th year. This past off-season hasn’t gone swimmingly either with Joe Daniher not granted his wish to join the Swans, while promising Irish speedster Connor McKenna has returned home - for now at least - swapping Tullamarine for Dungannon. Oh, and there was a messy leadership vote too which seems to have cast Zach Merrett to the wolves.

Something, however, that has gone incredibly well for the Bombers in recent times, and which should provide their fan base with plenty of optimism heading forward, is Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti. The Tiwi born star will be knocking hard on the door of All-Australian selection in 2020 thanks to his very pronounced two-way game, which on the one hand has seen him kick a team-high 92 goals over the last three seasons, while also averaging a ridiculous 3.9 tackles per match.

FREMANTLE - SOME OFFENCE? 

After eight seasons at the helm, the Dockers finally pulled the rug from beneath coach Ross Lyon, replacing him with Justin Longmuir, who’d spent nine successful years as an assistant coach with both West Coast and Collingwood. While wins and a potential September return for the first time in five years would be more than welcome for Dockers’ fans, just breaking free of Lyon's defensive shackles and scoring some points would be an acceptable starting point. 

In Lyon’s last four seasons, the Dockers were ranked bottom three for points scored, averaging just 71.7 points per game during that time span. Thankfully for Longmuir, Freo’s first five games in season 2020 are against teams who have won a grand total of two Finals matches over the last four seasons.

GEELONG - THE HOME AND AWAY SEASON

If Geelong fans could live out their lives exclusively in the home and away season, then life would be incredibly sweet. Over the last 13 seasons, the Cats have ten top-three finishes, with last year’s Minor Premiership indicative of their continual regular-season excellence. The Finals, however, has been a completely different animal. 

Since their 2011 premiership, Geelong has lost 11 of their 15 September assignments with so many of their excellent home and away campaigns getting stuck in the mud at the most important time of the year. The Cats, however, have kept the faith in both Chris Scott and their top-heavy list, ensuring that Cats fans should have plenty of reasons to believe they’ll have, once again, a brilliant March-August team on its hands.

HAWTHORN - ALASTAIR CLARKSON

Success in recent years hasn’t been as plentiful for the Hawks, having not won a single Final since their premiership hat-trick was completed in 2015. With that said, the football world is extremely aware that so long as one Alastair Clarkson is at the helm, the Hawks remain relevant at the very least. Clarkson remains one of the AFL’s deepest and most expansive thinkers and will be sure to be cooking up something spicy for season 2020, especially with Brownlow Medalist, Tom Mitchell, back from injury, and with the likes of Chad Wingard and Tom Scully in year two of their indoctrination of the 'Clarkson Way.'

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY - EXPERIENCE

After four straight years of Finals for eleven September assignments and now a Grand Final appearance, the Giants are entitled to believe they’ve come of age, and are ready to take the next step. After so many of years of waiting for their considerable talent to mature, the AFL world might just have an emerging juggernaut on its hands. 

In fact, the Giants now have the league’s fourth oldest list with an average age of 24.7 which means the biggest challenge the club now has is to start converting to their talent and experience into silverware.

GOLD COAST SUNS - MATTHEW ROWELL 

The Suns finished season 2019 on an 18-game losing streak and have understandably been installed as odd-on favourites for a repeat wooden spoon. There’s not a club more desperate for a good dose of optimism than the Suns, with last November’s #1 pick, Matthew Rowell, the embodiment of such hope.

Few draftees have entered the competition with so much hype in recent years, with Rowell’s combined talent and reputed leadership credentials enough to give Sun’s fans plenty to dream about. If Rowell’s game can take flight early, along with fellow first round picks, Noah Anderson, and Sam Flanders, perhaps lifting themselves off the bottom isn’t beyond the realm of possibility in 2020.

MELBOURNE - DOING IT DIFFERENTLY

After six years of progression culminating in a 2018 Preliminary Final appearance, the bottom once again fell out from underneath the Demons last year.

They entered season 2019 as amongst the premiership favourites, but instead, limped to just five wins and a 17th place finish, reminding the Demon faithful of the kind of ineptitude which has engulfed their club for so long.

Credit the Demons, then, for holding their nerve and keeping the faith in Simon Goodwin rather than opting for wholesale changes. Last off-season the Demons doubled down on their bourgeoning analytics department while also taking a bold approach to November’s draft, selecting both Luke Jackson and Kysaiah Pickett with their two first-round picks which raised a lot of eyebrows among AFL draft analysts.

The Demons enter season 2020 as one of the most curious teams and one of the most difficult to pin down. Should their boldness work, a return to September is in the offing. Should they implode once again, Goodwin will be out of a job, and the Demons on the lookout for yet another coach.

NORTH MELBOURNE - RHYCE SHAW

Of the four clubs who dismissed their coaches during the season in 2019, none had a more profound effect on his team than Rhyce Shaw replacing Brad Scott at North Melbourne.

After it was announced Scott wouldn’t be continuing at Arden Street, the Roos went on a 9-4 run only to narrowly miss out on their first September appearance since 2016. North looked a far more engaged, nuanced and aggressive outfit under Shaw, generating at least 50 inside-50s on eight occasions, as opposed to four under Scott. If the Roos can continue to back themselves and not fall back into the kind of conservatism that plagued the dying days of the Scott regime, then Finals are a distinct possibility.

PORT ADELAIDE - THE KIDS

In recent seasons, the Power have made a concerted effort to bring in an array of top-tier talent in through the draft, so much so that short-term success has been sacrificed for something a little more sustainable, and potentially meaningful, down the track.

The problem with the Port approach is that their fan base is now extremely restless after just one Finals appearance from its last five seasons.

Over the last four drafts, the Power have introduced no less than eight first-round picks, with both Connor Rozee and Xavier Duursma both finishing in the top-ten in the Rising Star last year. While it’s a list choc-full of talent, it is one sorely lacking in experience with the Power having 22 players on its list with less than 20 games played, which is the league’s highest number.

2020 looms as very much a cutthroat season forcoach Ken Hinkley, with a clause in his contract that would allow the Power to cut bait should they once again fail to make Finals.

RICHMOND - CREATING A DYNASTY

After winning two premierships in three seasons, Tiger fans are understandably dreaming about the 'D' word. After years of being the brunt of jokes, a Tiger powerhouse has now very much emerged in with the club's goals now shifting toward establishing themselves as a dynasty. This Tigers outfit is ranked just ninth in the AFL from an age profile meaning the window is still wide open in regards to sustained success. The challenge at Punt Road is about pressing the accelerator down a little further, knowing that stars such as Tom Lynch, Dustin Martin and Dion Prestia are in their absolute prime with no reason this extremely talented list, and brilliantly coached team, can't remain in the thick of flag calculations.

ST KILDA - MAX KING

In a perfect world, St Kilda’s Max King remains injury-free and anchors the Saints’ forward line for years to come. Sure, that’s a lot of pressure for a teenager who’s yet to play a senior game of AFL football, but this time of the year is all about dreaming, and that’s what King’s talent has inspired in Saints’ fans.

St Kilda were treated to a glorious era of Nick Riewoldt, who’s consistency and work rate should hopefully set the template for future Saints forwards, especially for King, who the Saints took with the #4 pick in the 2018 draft, and who’s flashed his brilliance at VFL and now pre-season level.

The Saints love King’s size and versatility and have gone a step further by giving him Riewoldt's famous number 12 guernsey.

St Kilda has been very aggressive at the trade table in recent years and now has a midfield in place which should give them plenty of inside and outside play. Having a target like King up forward may well be the difference between breaking their eight-season Finals drought, and another September holiday.

SYDNEY - ISAAC HEENEY

There is a world, at least in the most optimistic of Swans’ fans hearts, that by the end of 2020, Sydney’s Isaac Heeney is regarded as one of the game’s very best.

The Newcastle-born and raised youngster possesses one of the most unique skillsets in the competition, which, if harnessed correctly, could propel the Swans back into Finals contention.

In just five seasons, and through 102 games, Heeney is averaging a goal a game as well as 18.4 touches. The question for John Longmire and his coaching team, however, is where to best utilise Heeney’s diverse game, which on the one hand, has demonstrated itself capable of mixing it with the game’s best midfielders, but who's also required up forward, especially with Lance Franklin injured and expected to miss the first portion of the season.

Heeney’s brilliance and ability to play across the field isn’t the worst problem for a football club to have, however, making sure he’s best used to maximise Sydney’s potential is something that does need to be resolved.

WEST COAST - TIM KELLY

October’s Tim Kelly trade was one of the biggest transactions in recent AFL history. Not only did the West Coast Eagles land one of the AFL’s standout footballers, but also handed over a stack of draft capital as well as a whopping $5 million, six-year contract.

This Eagles team has been exceptional for some time, claiming the 2018 premiership, and now has its sights very firmly fixed on adding a fifth flag to the trophy cabinet as soon as September rolls around.

From an age and experience point of view, the Eagles are ranked second in the competition. It’s a team flush with talent all over the field, while adding a player of Kelly’s calibre, just as he’s entering the prime of his career, means the Eagles have the potential to build a genuine AFL behemoth.

In just two seasons of AFL football, Kelly has already amassed an astonishing 37 Brownlow votes, averaging 24 touches and a goal a game, in addition to his four tackles per match, just to emphasise that this guy can do a bit of everything. 

If he can gel quickly with his new teammates, the Eagles will be a frightening proposition for opponents throughout 2020.

WESTERN BULLDOGS - AARON NAUGHTON

If you’re a Bulldogs fan, it’s hard not to be giddy with excitement about both the present and future regarding their young star, Aaron Naughton.

For years, the Bulldogs looked on longingly at the rest of the league's young key forward stars, dreaming one day that they’d have one to call their own.

In Naughton, they now likely have their man.

When the Bulldogs bought the WA product to the club with the ninth pick of the 2017 draft, it was expected he’d be used as a defender. However, it wasn’t until the eve of the 2019 season when coach Luke Beveridge decided to deploy him up forward - a decision which has resulted in dizzying success and which has redefined the Bulldog’s prospects going forward.

In the 2019 home and away season no player took more than Naughton’s 53 contested marks, while his shift to the forward line also resulted in 33 goals, greatly altering the Bulldogs attack. In fact, over the last eight games of the season (where the Bulldogs went 6-2) they averaged a league-high 101.3 points, with so much of the midfield’s industry finally being rewarded.

With the Bulldogs adding Josh Bruce from the Saints to their forward mix, the Dogs will theoretically be able to use Naughton a little closer to goal in 2020, where he has the potential to be even more damaging.

Did you enjoy this article? Join our free mailing list to get the best content delivered straight to your inbox, or join the conversation by leaving a comment below or on the Stats Insider Twitter or Facebook page.