7. ADELAIDE UNITED

Adelaide have had a mixed off-season in the transfer department.

A strong string of internationals has bolstered an otherwise very young side over the past few days, so there's certainly room for optimism, but it's not exactly a team likely to be in finals contention.

It's unfortunate for the Reds, given how prolific they were at the beginning of last season and the strong organisation and discipline Ivan Karlovic has brought into the squad.

We can expect them to once again to be hardy campaigners and defensively oriented, but the loss of Emma Checker was a body-blow to the side that hasn't really been accounted for.

Then you add the losses of Veronica Latsko and Michelle Heyman, and you begin to understand why they've slipped down this list.

Their two most recent imports, an American defender Laura Ashley, and a Brazilian midfielder Lais Araujo, both playing in Scandinavia, have question marks hanging over them. They could be surprises, but we just don't know.

On the other hand, the signing of Mary Fowler has been a massive talking point around the club this season and one that's sure to bring fans through the gates.

If Fowler can stick her allegiance to the club alongside her sister, Ciara, then there is also a lot of long-term promise in the squad that Karlovic is building. But we guess that's the problem, can Adelaide keep their best players?