It is no surprise defending champion Caversham will be the team to beat when the Football South Premier League starts tomorrow.
Caversham coach Tim Horner clearly aims to continue the domination Caversham has exerted over a decade, yet he admits his squad is likely to have a more youthful look as new players try to earn senior places this season.
Gaps in Horner's ranks are visible since striker Tom Jackson moved north to Wellington, where he has become a key element in Team Wellington's success. Defender Logan Wright-Webb is also absent.
But a notable acquisition is goalkeeper Liam Little, back from Australia, where his side Mornington SC won the State One South East League championship in Melbourne.
Seasoned defenders such as Jude Fitzpatrick, Rhys Henderson and Craig Ferguson are still available, while Horner's task will be to build a balanced unit.
Andrew Ridden, Tore Waechter and Sam Collier are the features of last year's squad, plus new signings Jayden Grant and Jack Belchambers will vie for selection.
Caversham won the FPL last year by scoring more goals (92) and conceding less (16) than any other team, yet in a tight finish was only one point ahead of arch-rival Dunedin Technical.
Technical starts with a new coach in Tony Martin, Nick Cooper continues as assistant coach, and Matt Scoles starts as Technical's new manager. Coach Martin will be without a trio of key players last year, since striker Aaron Burgess has retired, centreback Matt Joy has moved north and striker Taylor McCormack is now overseas.
However, the affable Martin is sure he still has a squad capable of mounting a strong Championship challenge.
Training hard are George McCall, Tom Petersen, Ben Allan, Nick Smart, Karl Northey and Liam Watson, who are all trying to force into a first team place, as are new signings defender Campbell Higgins and keeper Zane Green.
But the hard core of Technical's challenge will come from anchor man in goals Tom Batty, leading the defence which repelled all boarders last season, Justin Flaws and Mike Neaverson in midfield and the pace and finishing power of Alistair Rickerby, Tim McLennan and possibly striker Sam French.
Mosgiel finished third last year, 14 points off the pace, after looking like real contenders early in the season.
Coach Andrew Brooks has only lost one player, Hamish Cotter, and will be looking for a sustained effort from his squad this season, especially with the added depth of new players Cam McPhail, Conner Neil, keeper Liam Whittaker and Harley Rodeka.
Mosgiel scored 49 goals in 18 matches last year, which would satisfy most supporters, but the Plainsmen also let in 39 goals and for Brook, that was unacceptable.
Going forward, Mosgiel is sure to be an attractive attacking team, with classy Chilean midfielder Eder Franchini prompting play alongside Morgan Day and Rahan Ali, plus in Regan Coldicott, Rodeka, and Cody Brook there is real goalscoring potential.
Fourth placed Roslyn-Wakari won seven matches last year and also lost seven, leaving coach Colin Thom keen to stabilise his team, since it conceded more goals than it scored last season.
A notable loss for Roslyn is midfielder Cam Atwood, who has moved north, and his powerful presence will be missed, as will striker Blair Bates.
But a large influx of talented younger players has excited coach Thom, as Jack Kirkwood, Reid Hulleman, Tennessee Kinghorn and swift striker Ben Kiore moved to Ellis Park hoping to emulate Ben O'Farrell, who has clinched a regular first team spot.
The return of striker James Govan after an absence of three years will also add pep to the white squad, with new signing Aucklander Josh Shaw also in the mix.
Player movement has not been kind to Green Island, the new coach of which, Richard Kerr-Bell, faces almost a totally new senior squad that he rates as ‘‘the youngest group in New Zealand playing in a senior competition''.
Kerr-Bell is unfazed, and with help from long-time Green Island identity Kevin Scoullar, the coaching partnership that achieved second place in the National Youth League hopes to build a team for the future at Sunnyvale.
University will be as volatile and erratic as ever. Capable of beating anyone on their day, the students knocked Caversham out of the Chatham Cup last year, winning 1-0.
But when the term holidays or exams arrive, University can be a mere shadow of its true potential.
Northern also has a new coach in Lewis Houghton, and the team has responded well to his leadership in pre-season games. Three players have left, and clearly Angus Milne will be missed, but there are plenty of new signings who will help the likes of the Wilkinson brothers, Craig and Arran.
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Houghton's target will be to improve on last year's bottom finish, when the Magpies shared the unwelcome wooden spoon award with University, finishing on five points, after conceding almost five goals per game.
