The gist: Todd Matthews won’t attempt a sixth consecutive Best Defensive Player trophy, nor will Brian Moultrie ignite the Flames’ burnt out offence. The Flames will be in a transitional phase at both ends of the court.

The stat: For the first 10 weeks of 2012, the Flames won on all the odd weeks and lost on all the even ones. It was only after dropping below .500 for the first time all season that the Flames found some consistency, winning eight of nine before losing the Preliminary Final to eventual Premiers Forestville.

The star: Edward Millard, the only player to play for two clubs last season, was the league’s leading scorer while with the Mavericks, averaging 25 ppg. With a stronger supporting cast, he should score a few less points but at a higher field goal percentage.

The x-factor: Andrew Webber did not play for the Flames until June 16 last season, and had his worst statistical season in eight years, averaging just 7.3 ppg while shooting under 28 per cent. With Moultrie and Matthews gone, Webber will need to be back to his best – it was only in July 2011 that he scored a staggering 51 points.

The glass half-full: Millard should be a reasonable replacement for Moultrie, and Webber and Matthew Lycett will have full seasons this time after playing just 27 of 42 games between them in 2012.

The glass half-empty:Matthews has been an outstanding servant of the Flames and will be sorely missed for his leadership, his hard-nosed defence and his ability to make a critical shot at any given time. Replacing him will take some doing.

The verdict: The Flames have not missed the finals since 2005. There’s hope of keeping that streak alive, but the most realistic scenario is they just miss out.

Predicted finish: Outside the five

2012

Final Placing: 3rd
Record:11-7
Home record:5-4
Road Record:6-3
Longest win streak:5
Longest losing streak: 2
Best result:69-64 W @ Sturt
Worst result:81-85 L v South

Player Stats
Where they scored from

2013

Player Profiles
Game Schedule

By James Woite