Reigning premiers Golden Square are expected to drop back to the pack, and while you can never count out Strathfieldsaye or Eaglehawk, Gisborne is believed to be the big risers this season.

It's easy to see why, with the returning Pat McKenna and Jack Scanlon on paper, at least fixing their 2023 forward woes.

But it's the Bulldogs midfield that is their strongest line, and their starting four of Braidon Blake, Bradley Bernacki, Flynn Lakey and Jackson Cardillo could lay claim to being the best in the competition should they cause an upset at the QEO on Saturday.

They come up against the current benchmark (Sandhurst) though, and ahead of the early season blockbuster, the Bendigo Advertiser has compared what we regard as the two best midfields in the BFNL.

Two of the three Michelsen Medal favourites heading into the season, along with Castlemaine's Bailey Henderson.

We didn't get a look at Bernacki in round one due to the Bulldogs having the bye, but Dragons captain Tardrew showed why he is regarded as a premium A-grader.

He played what could end up being the best Premier Data-rated game of the season, collecting 44 disposals, 14 clearances, six inside 50s, four goals, and 244 ranking points.

After spending the first half of 2023 in the Essendon VFL setup, Bernacki returned to the Bulldogs full-time from July onwards.

In games he played, the Bulldogs went 6-3, while when he wasn't leading the midfield pack, his side lost seven out of nine.

He averaged 33.56 disposals from his nine games in 2023, 18.67 of which were contested, finishing second in the BFNL in that stat.

Bernacki also kicked 23 goals.

Both are their side's best midfield users by foot and are regular hitters of the scoreboard.

With McKenna and Scanlon potentially needing time to get their match fitness back to their best, Bernacki might need to hit the scoreboard more than Tardrew on Saturday as the Dragons' forward line is already firing, led by Fergus Greene.

If Tardrew and Bernacki are Batman at their respective clubs, then Noah Walsh and Flynn Lakey fill the role of Robin.

The young duo are already stars of the competition and will only get better over the coming years.

Lakey is among the top couple pure inside midfielders in the BFNL, and this has led him to back-to-back Bulldogs' best and fairests.

The stats back that up - Lakey amassed the second-most contested possessions (307) in 2023 and most handballs (393).

Most of what the Bulldogs do starts with him, as he is usually the guy with hands first on the footy at the bottom of the contest.

While they might not necessarily be lined up on each other on Saturday, Walsh is the more dynamic of the two.

His ability to burst clear from traffic is elite, and from the look of his pre-season games and round-one performance, it appears he's going to go to another level.

Walsh amassed 32 disposals, six clearances and seven inside 50s against the Roos last week.

Hamish Hosking's departure has opened the door for Connor Sexton to become the Dragons' number-one ruck.

While it might have been a year or two earlier than planned, he's always been earmarked as Hosking's replacement.

Sexton was impressive against one of the strongest sides in country Victoria - Echuca - in a practice match and has another big challenge on Saturday going up against 2022 Nalder Medal winner Braidon Blake.

Blake, the more established of the pair, should win the hit-outs battle and give his midfielders first use, but if Sexton can continue to compete, it will go a long way toward a Dragon victory.

Will be keeping a very close eye on Bulldogs recruit Jackson Cardillo.

Rob Waters wanted more midfield depth in 2024 and Cardillo is a great start being one of the top off-season recruits.

Cardillo is a former Calder Cannon and Essendon VFL midfielder. He has been playing predominately on the inside in their practice matches and was reportedly excellent against Melton.

I could have chosen Nicholas Stagg to round out the Dragons' best midfield quartet, but decided to go with Coghlan because he's generally a great barometer.

Coghlan ranked equal fourth with Stagg for the Dragons in average contested possessions (10.3) per game in 2023, behind Tardrew and the now departed Hosking and Sam Conforti.

He began his season in fine touch last week with 27 disposals (16 contested), five clearances and two goals.

If Dragons co-coaches Ashley Connick and Bryce Curnow decide a tagging role is required, the job will most likely fall to Coghlan.

It's incredibly hard to split the trios of Tardrew, Walsh, Coghlan and Bernacki, Lakey, and Cardillo, but I do feel each side has one point of difference.

Without Hosking, Mac Cameron or Matthew Compston (retired) in the competition anymore, Blake is now in the very top echelon of rucks.

But outside the four discussed, the Dragons bat deeper, with the Bulldogs likely relying on Sam Graham and youngster Macklan Lord to do some heavy lifting.