Three fresh teams, a stack of new acquisitions, and a streamlined eight-week regular season.

But as tricky as it may be to forecast, what's a rugby league pre-season without a ladder prediction?

Let's break down each side's title chances in the lead-up to the season and map out where they'll end up at the conclusion of the eight-week campaign.

Without further ado:

Blake Fitzpatrick, Josh Rivett and Dave Sellers...

These three men look to have the all clear to suit up for Dallas Booth in the Tigers' round one clash with Lithgow, making the disallowance of Jackson Brien a much easier pill to swallow.

Not only is this side stacked with first grade experience, it boasts one of the strongest home-field advantages in the competition.

Having disappointed their fans in recent Group 10 campaigns, the Tigers will be ever-enthused to lift the Wallerawang Landscaping Cup in 2020.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better Mid-west captain-coach than Jared Brodrick.

The former Orange Hawks' Premier League stud was bagging four-pointers against CYMS at the business end of last year's Group 10 season and now, will look to lead the Heelers towards a second-tier title.

The word coming out of Cargo is that the men in blue are struggling for numbers and while that may be the case, it'll only take a dozen hardened Woodbridge Cup players to shake up the competition.

Travel might be an issue for some of the players who reside further out in the bush and and if depth is truly a problem, it would only take a couple of injuries to severely damage up the side's credentials but as of now, Brodrick's boys are right in the mix.

Credit where credit's due to the reigning premiers....

They might have lost Billy Dickinson, Todd Pattison and a host of talented graduates, but Rhys Power's men still have the depth to compete with the best sides in 2020.

Phil Thurgood leads the pack of returning Mungoes and will bolster an already-potent forward pack, while talented second-year standout Joe Coady will slot into the halves for what looks to be a successful sophomore season at Diggings Oval.

Combine those two names with the usual suspects - Jacob Watkin, Matt Knight, Zac Leach-Deahm and Blake Schaefer - and you've got a more than competent bunch of blokes.

The question mark that's always hovered over the students is whether or not they've got the toughness to compete with the out-and-out bush footy brutes - especially when playing away from the university.... only time will tell.

Barbs looked a little skinny up until about a week ago when Jake Kelly announced that the three amigos - Ed Morrish, Ben Gosper and Mitch Britt - would return and now, with whispers of Jake Allen and Jared Donlan also joining the side, there's no reason the experienced outfit can't push for a premiership this winter.

The Barbarians had little-to-no numbers prior to the Raiders folding in June and even though they picked up a host of players from the 2019 side, there's question marks over the amount of training time they've shared on the paddock so far.

All in all, any Mid-west Cup side with Gosper's shoulder and Britt's footwork will be thereabouts when the whips are cracking and that consistency is what's led to Jake Kelly's mob securing the last spot in the top four.

If there's one thing Kurt Beahan's men don't lack, it's passion.

The former CYMS premiership winner has often spoken about the unique bond his team of Indigenous players has at United, and that connection alone will make them a formidable opponent throughout the season.

What's puzzling for pundits is pinpointing the players who'll make up the roster in 2020 but if the talent is anywhere near as high as the commitment level, you could be looking at a genuine surprise packet.

Man mountain Chris Jones is reportedly playing for the Warriors and if he's on the paddock, opposing forward packs had better look out.

Beahan's told The Central Western Daily that a lot of the guys on the team haven't played footy in several seasons which is concerning over what's only a seven-game sample size this winter.

If the Warriors can shake off the cobwebs early, they might be a chance for the finals but as of now, they just miss out.

'Juice' Osgood won't be happy to read this but unless the red and greens can recruit a handful of Mudgee first graders (like they did once before), I'm afraid they don't have the cattle to keep up with what else is on the park this season.

Ethan Parsons, Kaleb Richey and Scott Wilkinson are all legitimate bush footy threats, and it'll be good to see Oden Osgood link up with his father on the paddock, but the Tahs will be hard-pressed to string together more than a couple of wins this year.

The devastating passing of club legend Matt Hundy could have lit a fire under the club's belly and if they're playing with 'Bonz' on their mind, they might surprise a few people... only time will tell.

It's hard to tell who or what the Lithgow Bears will put on the park this season but based on previous seasons, it's the obvious choice to put them at the bottom of the ladder until they prove themselves.

The aforementioned Kaleb Richey was a workhorse for the Bears in recent seasons, as was fullback Blake Collin (who's linked with the Barbarians for the looming winter).

What does this mean for the remaining players at Tony Luchetti Sportsground? Who the heck knows.

The Bears will surely be hell bent on proving these predictions wrong but they'll have to show the league a little something before they're considered contenters.