Despite all eyes firmly planted on the beginning of the 2025 AFL season, clubs and list managers have already begun to assess their group as a whole.
From star players to depth necessities, all sides are planning for premiership glory and what that might look like in the years to come.
A big part of that is being able to successfully plan for the short term as well as the future, with clubs like Sydney, Geelong and Brisbane providing the blueprint in recent years.
And although the work on the field will determine who holds the premiership cup aloft at the end of the year, the off-field happenings play an even larger part.
As it stands, over 300 players are entering the final year of their contract.
SEE MORE: The NINE biggest off-contract stars in 2025
Some are likely set to retire, some are expected to land big bucks while the unfortunate reality is some won't be in the system in 2026.
So, we'll go through your club's state of play heading into the new season.
Essendon
(17 players)
Essendon must keep Sam Draper. Plain and simple.
The Bombers will be fighting with South Australian clubs for the ruckman's signature, which ironically comes at the same time fellow talls Nick Bryan and Todd Goldstein come out of contract, albeit the latter is expected to retire.
Zach Reid has yet to provide any return on investment for a former top-10 pick due to injuries while Jayden Laverde will be an interesting watch given the club denied his request to extend another year.
Ben Hobbs also lives a similar fate given the depth in the midfield, with rivals likely to ask the question of his availability.
Out of contracts: Nick Bryan, Alwyn Davey Jnr, Archer Day-Wicks, Sam Draper, Saad El-Hawli, Todd Goldstein, Ben Hobbs, Harrison Jones, Jayden Laverde, Luamon Lual, Jye Menzie, Jayden Nguyen, Jaxon Prior, Zach Reid, Will Setterfield, Dylan Shiel, Vigo Visentini
