Last year: Ninth (6-12)

Gains: Alex Thirkill, Coby Archer, Joel Burke, Josh Beere, Josh Franklin, Matthew McGreevy, Michael Agosti, Mitchell Taylor, Nicholas Stone, Sheldon Slatter, Patrick Wall, Aiden Sinclair, Coopy Naggy (Bathurst Bulldogs)

Losses: Nick Wright (Corowa-Rutherglen), James Pitson

Most recent finals appearance: 2019

Most recent flag: 2007

Captain: Luke Bokic was captain for 2023, each year players vote a month prior to round 1 who will be the captains for the season.

Who starts the season flag favourites and why?: Holbrook. The Brookers have kept their losses minimal and have been able to pick up half a dozen players that will add to their starting 21. Compared to the other top three teams of last year, they look to be the ones who have strengthened their list the most.

Your likely top-six?: In no particular order, Holbrook, Howlong, Giants, Jindera, CDHBU, and Osborne.

Which side is likely to be the biggest improver?: Jindera. Looking at the Bulldogs' list, they would've been disappointed not to play finals last year, have added a couple contested midfielders with Garland and Mackie which they were missing last season and also added runners in Middleton and Browne at either end of the ground to go with the key forwards and backs they already have. Wouldn't be surprised if they win at least one to two finals.

Best player in the competition?: It's a toss up between Connor Galvin or Trent Castles. Connor was very unlucky to not be an Azzi medalist three years in a row and Castle's ability to win the league goal kicking last year off a reduced number game was very impressive.

Best recruit in the competition over the off-season?: On pure talent, it's difficult to pick but for team structure I would go with Josh Kable. If Kable can hold down a key position down back and nullify each team's number one forward especially during finals, it will go a long way towards the Brookers playing in another grand final. Holbrook have done remarkably well to finish where they have each year without a bona fide centre half-back but unfortunately have struggled when teams have two or three key forwards which looks like most of the top three to four teams which have this year.

Which recruit at your club excites you the most and why?: Alex Thirkill who will play across our half forward line. Tall and mobile and has good skills, played in our first practice match and performed really well in a new team.

Who has been the standout at pre-season training so far?: Rory Jenkins who looks to have taken his fitness to another level which has impressed his teammates. Also Lachie Gould who joined us last year but had a terrible run with soft tissue injuries and missed a fair chunk of matches but looks to have his body right and his running times have really improved.

How tough was recruiting this off-season compared to previous seasons?: Probably been lucky in previous seasons where we've been able to add four to five players quite early in the off-season to the senior list. We keep it pretty simple, each year we aim to at least add one player to our forward line, midfield and back line. We have had to contact more players this year but I feel that we have been able to achieve our goal.

What have the numbers been like at pre-season training?: Since Christmas and cricket has finished our numbers have been a lot more consistent, getting closer to the start of season we have had more reserves players come to training than expected. Recently we had a practice match with 30 players taking part and still having few boys unavailable which is a really good sign for the club going into the season.

How is the rehab going after undergoing a knee reconstruction for a torn ACL?: Rehab is progressing well. I have been running and kicking since we kicked off pre-season in December which was awesome to be able to do again. Working with Ryan Sewell and Jack Robinson from Flex Out Physio since the surgery who have been unreal with testing and exercise programs. Aiming to return mid-season but will have a few boxes still to tick.

What are your expectations at the den this season?: There is no real expectation but more so hoping we can have a relatively injury free year and play our best football. We have been unlucky in the past couple years to miss out on finals and having a number of players missing each week has really hurt us. We have changed the way we have approached the pre-season compared to other years with the aim to improve this but as the seasons progresses we'll reassess each week.

WE SAY: The Lions proved to be competitive last season when at full-strength, highlighted by a win over eventual preliminary finalists RWW Giants in the second half of the season. But a lack of depth was sorely exposed when injuries hit, including a season-ending knee injury to coach Tim Haines which robbed the Lions of their best defender. While there hasn't been many headlines over the off-season in regards to recruits at the den, Haines has been able to land his fair share of signings after several players based in the army have committed for the upcoming season. While the army recruits are expected to be fit, it remains to be seen what impact they could have in the Hume league and the Lions will be sweating that they may have some hidden gems that can help them remain competitive. The departure of Nick Wright and James Pitson is a stinging blow with the pair among the Lions' top half-a-dozen players last year. A lack of firepower is also a concern and Haines will be hoping one of the recruits can provide another reliable option in attack to help Michael McWilliams and Lachie Knobel who were the two main avenues to goal last season. With so many new faces at the den, the Lions will start the season as arguably the biggest unknown quantity in the competition. But with so many other clubs who missed finals last season expected to improve, the Lions could be on the slide.

PREDICTION: 11th