North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has announced the arrival of Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney as forces in the AFL, declaring the coming season to be the toughest in League history.
In a reality check for any Kangaroos fans who might expect to repeat their preliminary final effort this season - or go one better - Scott says his side is just one in a deep pack of clubs that will battle to keep up with the big boys.
The two-time premiership player will embark on his sixth season as an AFL coach when the Kangaroos season kicks off against Adelaide next month.
He's experienced enough to know that attempting to tip the premiers in March is a mug's game, but that hasn't stopped him making a big call about the 2015 season.
"I try to avoid as best I can pre-season predictions because you're only basing it on last year," he said.
"All anyone's got to go on is the most recent history ... people change their views by about round six.
"What I do know in 2015 I can say with a level of confidence, is that it's going to be the most competitive year in AFL history."
Scott has stripped the two newest AFL clubs - the Suns and the Giants - of their expansion labels, saying their time has arrived.
"You've got for the first time a genuine 18-team competition," he said.
"GWS and the Gold Coast aren't expansion teams any more.
"They're going to take some beating."
The Kangaroos were unlikely guests to the season's second-last weekend after defeating Geelong in a sparkling semi-final display.
But North Melbourne hasn't been mentioned in the same breath as the other three preliminary finalists - Hawthorn, Sydney Swans and Port Adelaide - for 2015 favouritism.
Scott said only last year's grand finalists had earned the right to be talking about premierships this early.
"Everyone else, and we're amongst them, are just scrambling for positions," he said.
"(Hawthorn, the Swans and Port Adelaide) will be good again.
"And the clubs below them are all going to get better.
"That narrows the margin for error for everyone."
