10. Central Coast Mariners

Meet the early wooden spoon favourites. Promising a more attack-minded approach this term, the Mariners have been steadily working on pressing high and playing quick forward passes in pre-season. It’s a philosophy which is sure to bring goals in Gosford, but unfortunately a disproportionate amount of those seem certain to be scored against Tony Walmsley’s men. In September preparations alone, Central Coast lost to Melbourne Victory and fellow predicted strugglers Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets.

Despite the positive game plan, it is hard to see where the goals will indeed come from, with Roy O’Donovan, Fabio Ferreria or Mitch Austin needing to hit a real purple patch in order to produce results. Even if that does eventuate for a player in the final third, there is a worrying lack of quality in the midfield, which is already leaning too heavily on veteran Nick Montgomery.

With Liam Reddy between the posts, and Storm Roux, Eddy Bosnar, Jacob Poscoliero and Josh Rose in front of him, there is reason to believe the Mariners will at least put up a fight in defence. However, the loss of former skipper John Hutchinson leaves the team somewhat rudderless, not to mention lacking a little craft, which is likely to see them without possession for extended periods. Surely there is only so long the backline can hold on.

The Mariners are synonymous with graft, team spirit and perseverance. They will need all of these qualities on show if they are to lift themselves out of the doldrums this season. In short, there just doesn’t appear to be enough depth or quality in this squad to see them challenge the majority of A-League sides. RB

9. Brisbane Roar

Ten years ago John Aloisi carved his name into the pantheon of Australian sporting legends by firing the Socceroos into the World Cup with a nerveless penalty. Now, Aloisi faces a different kind of pressure, perhaps one that can potentially take a heavier toll, and yet conversely offer far less reward. Aloisi has stepped into the hot seat at Brisbane Roar, a club that seems on an alarmingly downward spiral. Just 18 months ago Brisbane won their third championship in four seasons, and they seemed set to continue in a similar vein into the foreseeable future. The club’s quick drop through the A-League pack began with the bizarre dismissal of coach Mike Mulvey just a handful of games after winning the 2014 title.

Now the club start a new season with another new coach, an ageing squad and want-away owners. It has been a messy off-season for the Roar with the Bakrie Group accused of unpaid wages and debts, resulting in the exit of key midfielder Luke Brattan after an arbitration hearing found in favour of the Socceroo squad member.

Unsurprisingly, the Roar have been one of the less active clubs during the off-season. Jamie McClaren will add pace and verve to the forward line, while Spanish midfielder Corona comes with a decent résumé and high praise from Aloisi. Andrija Kaluderovic has departed, as has loanee Adam Sarota. However, plenty of the old-stagers – and their winning mentality – remain, including Matt McKay, Thomas Broich, Jade North, Michael Theo and Shane Stefanutto. The basic ingredients are there, but the challenge for Aloisi is not only to distance the squad from the off-field distractions, but find the right rhythm in his second spell as coach of an A-League club. PS

8. Newcastle Jets

If the remedy for finishing bottom of the pile is to instigate change, then Newcastle may finally be on the road to recovery. Since collecting last season’s wooden spoon, former owner Nathan Tinkler has been ousted, with a new consortium led by Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson reportedly set to take over. Head coach Phil Stubbins was shown the door, replaced by promising young tactician Scott Miller.

During his brief tenure, the former Fulham youth coach has brought a new sense of unity to the dressing room, which will be led by the likes of Nigel Boogaard, David Carney, Mateo Poljak, Daniel Mullen and Labinot Haliti. Added to this core leadership group are experienced players such as Jason Hoffman, Cameron Watson, Mark Birrighitti and Lee Ki-je. Suddenly there’s a bit to like about the Jets.

If this recuperating club is to make their first finals appearance in six years, however, much will hinge on late signings Leonardo Santiago and Milos Trifunovic. This duo will be charged with providing some flair in attack, which was an ingredient lacking in the Jets’ squad prior to their respective arrivals.

This leaves Newcastle as a wildly unpredictable prospect. New owners are potentially coming in, a new coach without A-League experience is at the helm, and two largely unseen imports hold the key to their goalscoring hopes. It’s not exactly the recipe most clubs would want to follow, but after the Jets’ experience last season, it genuinely seems they could be on the up.

Miller’s message is all about belief, and that can already be seen in the pre-season performances of his new-look squad. Whether that translates into competition points when the pressure is on remains the great unknown. RB

Predicted placings were determined by aggregating the verdicts of a seven-strong panel of Guardian Australia football writers comprising Richard Parkin, Joe Gorman, Jack Kerr, Rob Brooks, Pete Smith, Mike Hytner and Paul Connolly. The full breakdown of that process will be published in Wednesday’s final preview. Tomorrow: part II – the mid-table hopefuls.