Early on, it looks like we will have a very competitive TD this season.

Lontras still looks like the favorite to win it all, but their recent roster moves mean Haifa will have an outside chance of repeating as TD champs again this season.

My predictions:
1st Lontras
2nd Haifa Mariners
3rd Dubai Globetrotters
4th Puppets of the Gods
5th Clutch Mayhem
6th Vredenburg Eagle
7th Darkside
8th Kibo Avalanche *
9th Israel Giants

Israel Giants haven't logged in for 15 days now, so they could be about to become a bot team.

Kibo Avalanche on the other hand, is pretending to be a bot team and seems to have contacts over in Ukraine. He's slowly converting his team into a Ukrainian only team and selling his existing players to Ukrainian teams, though several of them have now gone bot.

Darkside looks to have worked on his offense quite a bit, bringing in several new players from around the world to bolster the team offensively. He needs to start working on the defense though, or he won't be able to compete consistently.

Vredenburg Eagle looks to have his team in place, now it's a matter of training. In a few seasons, the Eagle should be a formidable foe.

Clutch Mayhem seems to want an all South African team. He has a mix of young and old players on both sides of the ball. BPOS on offense is slowly rising, but he is extremely young and inexperienced on defense. Mayhem will struggle against the more balanced teams this season.

Puppets of the Gods has gone all-in on his rebuild, with only one player left on the roster over the age of 21 years. BPOS and training is underway and should start showing results with a season or two.

Dubai Globetrotters has made some vast improvements. He has brought in several high paid veterans to help out his younger players and should be solidly in 3rd place this season and may even challenge for 2nd place. Defense will still be a concern this season for the Globetrotters, but they are well positioned to be a contender quickly.

Haifa Mariners finally broke through last season with a TD title. Lontras still looks like the better team, but the Mariners, who are now in the 4th season of their rebuild, have dramatically closed the gap. Training is coming along well and they should be a team to beat by next season.

Lontras has been working on replacing some of their older and retiring players with some younger players who are also fairly well advanced in their training. His offense has taken the biggest hit. He's kept his veteran QB/WR/TE combination. That trio is very good, but they are also aging, and their skills will be diminishing throughout the season. On the other side of the ball, he still has four or five holdovers from the powerhouse of the last few seasons, but the defense doesn't look as though it will be as good as in the past few seasons.

Reaus wrote: Nice! It's great to see increased competitiveness in this Region!

and the write ups are fun to read too

tzwrono wrote: Well now I expected to at least have a closer game based on previous outcomes of other games so far this season. That thrashing was very surprising. Well done Lontras! You are still the team to beat.

Thanks. But well done to Haifa on big ALFC win!

Last season in first game I beat you 21-63 and you still won league. This season I only win 21-52. Dubai Globetrotters I don't know if they can win league this time but they will make noise in cup or change league finish. For sure I can't pick up trophy until last game.

wow Dubai Globetrotters are looking very strong! What a good win in the Region Cup game against Lontras. This means now, I think I must win the Region Cup if I hope to be in the AFLC again next season.

Dubai have been buying up good players and they seem to be a major player for the league title next season and beyond.

It makes me want to spend some of my money to bring in experienced players and "win now" instead of waiting for my young players to finish their training.

Come on A&AP!! It seems like the more TD participants you have, the less chatter there is. Shouldn't it be the opposite?