Pelchen's permutations and prognostications

[Opine]

There are two sides to the equation - the sides that will improve - markedly or modestly.

Those who will slip or stay static - ageing list, poor drafting, injury

Goes without saying CFC will be an improver. Question is how much!

Teams that will slide imo:

1. GC (lack of quality, losing Lynch, May)
2. Hawks (no Mitchell, ageing list).
3. Cats (Ablett coming 'home' was a mistake).
4. Sydney (Lance will stop being a force sooner than later, midfield not what it was, ordinary back line).
5.  North (they over achieved in 2018).
6. Tigers too? Will Lynch add or detract from team balance? Will their ordinary ruck brigade finally come home to roost?

Teams that will remain same same:

7. Freo - losing Neale a huge loss. Hogan? meh....he doesn't seem overly interested in footy.
8. Brisbane (everybody loves them but don't see why their improvement should be anything near ours - guys like Robbo, Rich getting on, no Beams, no Rockliff - other than Neale who's A grade in their midfield?)
9. Port (just don't see it with these guys....they've bought players to get them a flag tilt but Watts et al aren't going to get them there).
10. Pies - overachievers in 2018 but kudos to them.
11. West Coast - hard to beat, especially in Perth.
12 Saints - another team where I simply don't see it - is Hanneberry getting $800k a year? Will he produce? Doubtful, very. All that paycheck will do is add to disharmony....
13. GWS - still a force but will Kelly,Hopper,Coniglio be thinking about possible moves in 2020 and lack the required focus?
14. Bulldogs - middle of the road - lack class in numbers....

Improvers:

15. Dees (young blokes getting into the peak zone, Steven May).
16. Crows (only because they were so ordinary in 2018) - plenty of quality in that list.
17. Essendon (Shiel et al and Daniher back) - hate them but they'll make the 8.
18. The mighty Blues - again, how much can we improve rapidly (using our 2017 season as a relevant benchmark - won 6 games, 9 other games lost by 4 goals or less - beating GWS,Sydney, Pies,Essendon, Hawks and GC)?

That's a fairly good assessment. 
Not sure the Crow's will improve that much, if at all. I have them in the status quo category; at least I hope so.