The Southern Saints were tipped to finish with the wooden spoon in 2019 but surprised the entire competition by making the Grand Final.
In 2020, the Saints look stronger than ever and look the goods to go all the way and win their second Premiership.
Captain Michael Boyce, Carlos Donnell-Brown and Andriu Sucu are all regulars in the New Zealand senior team and add experience around the ground.
The Southern Saints picked key forward James Kusel as their number 1 pick and he will add power and finesse to their forward line.
Academy graduate Keiran Charlton will flourish under experienced squad members and will look to make an impact early on.
Harley Jenkins was nabbed late in the 2018 draft and finished runner up in the Golden Boot last season so expect big things from the full forward in 2020.
Player to watch: Andrew Bissett
Andrew Bissett is an exciting midfielder who burst onto the scene last season.
With sound knowledge of the game, Bissett combined well with Michael Boyce to gain an advantage in the middle of the ground.
With a season under his belt, expect Bissett to become more of a powerhouse in the Premiership.
Get excited: James Kusel
James Kusel was the inaugural Captain of the Northern Suns from 2016-2018 and will line up for the Southern Saints in 2020.
A strong centre half forward bith a booming boot, James has his sights set on making the 2020 AFL International Cup squad and will use the Premiership as preparation to impress the national selectors.
James has represented New Zealand at the 2017 International Cup and played a key role in the midfield which saw the national side reach the Grand Final, played on the MCG.
2019 position: 2nd
Predicted position in 2020: Premiers
2020 Best and Fairest: Michael Boyce
*The views expressed in this in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of AFL New Zealand.
