Jason Phelan: With round one just around the corner are you happy with what you've been able to achieve over the pre-season?

Brett Ratten: We've seen some of the changes or alterations to our game plan come through and work really well. I think there has been an over-correction in a few areas and we're just going back through that, but the more games you get to play the better.

Overall I've been pretty pleased with our preparation. The individuals that we'd like to be in form are in form, especially in our front half with Setanta O'hAilpin, Eddie Betts and Mitch Robinson, who I think are all in really good touch. That's really exciting for us.

JP: In terms of the way you want to play the game can we expect anything different from the Blues this year?

BR: Maybe we'll be a bit more stop-start in our flow. The speed that we've played with, which was a 'helter-skelter' type footy in periods, actually opened us up at times. I think the balance is there, but it's about trying to read the play. When we've got momentum we want to use it effectively and when the opposition's got momentum we've got to be able to decrease the speed of the game as much as possible.

That balancing act is very hard because you can get an over-correction and you can play slow for too long or quick for too long. We tried to monitor our speed last year and we seemed to play a lot quicker for the majority of the time, which sometimes works really well but can open you up on the other side of the equation.

JP: As you've watched pre-season matches have you sensed that your players are perhaps still grappling with a few things as they learn?

BR: Maybe a little bit when you're talking defence in terms of the risk side of the game. Maybe your defence with the ball, whether you can use the ball in a more defensive mode, or whether you can effectively defend to win the ball back.

I think we've played a bit 'no risk' with the ball at times. We've seen that in some of the games that we've played, but in saying that I've also seen us put in a style of play that is exactly what we want. We're just trying to marry up when to go and when not to go.

It's an issue that all teams have. How much is full throttle and how much is controlling the game?

JP: The top teams in recent years have shown an ability to play a more defensive style of game in the increased intensity of the finals. Is that what you're aiming for?

BR: I think so, just with our ability to keep the ball a little bit longer and reduce the opposition's time in possession. It's about how much exposure we want to allow when we've got the ball.

Sometimes when you're attacking you've got no cover in place and you open yourself up. We've worked on that a fair bit over the summer and I think we've seen it work in parts. Against Brisbane I think it worked fairly well for us, we saw parts of it in the Adelaide game, but there's a few parts we weren't too happy with in that game either.

It was only a one-point game but I think it was a really good lesson for our players in how we'd like to play in terms of the defensive appetite that Adelaide brought to the game.

JP: On that game, there appear to have been a few concerns amongst Blues supporters given the relative strength of the two sides that ran out. What did you take away from it?  

BR: Our start and a couple of undisciplined acts allowed Adelaide to really get into the game and then you're playing catch up which is not what you'd like for your last hitout.

We had more shots, we had more inside 50s and we won more numbers around the stoppages. Maybe our effectiveness wasn't as good going forward, and they're a very well-structured side. I think they had, pretty much, their starting back line in place. They had some quality back there so it wasn't like they were undermanned down there.

I thought we moved the ball a little bit wide and didn't take our opportunities. We'll try and correct that over the next nine days.

JP: I know coaches hate to individualise, but who's caught your eye over the summer?

BR: Robinson's form has been outstanding, as has been his attitude in the way he's gone about training. That's really transferred into the games where we've seen a bloke who's pretty committed and hard at it. Chris Yarran's pre-season was outstanding, but he stood on a ball and rolled his ankle before the start of the game last week which was a real shame.

Setanta has also taken a big step and then probably Eddie Betts as well. He's come back into the fold after being exiled for a month and his skin folds are the lowest they've been and his GPS numbers are up. He's worked extremely hard and you can see that in his form.

JP: I'm glad you brought it up - let's talk about the elephant in the room. How have you viewed your club's reaction to the fallout from that cruise? You copped plenty of whacks there for a while, but with a bit of time past are you happy with how the club has responded?  

BR: Sometimes things do happen in football that are out of your control. We spoke about that and asked 'are we in control of that situation?' Yes we were, but we let it get out of control. Now the players understand fully their responsibility and the responsibility of how they can support each other, which is a big key to it.

Have we just brushed it under the carpet? No. I think we've put things in place from a club point of view and, I suppose, a football point of view so that we can help support each other.

I think they're some of the lessons that we've learned along the way and we've become better for it.

JP: Juddy copped a fair bit of stick over that as well as a leader of the club. Was that fair?

BR: I think the expectation on Chris is extremely high. He is a leader of the club and holds a lot of responsibility, but I think there is a leadership group that's there with him. All of the players as individuals have now got to stand up and be accountable for their actions.

To pass the blame onto him is, I think, very unfair.

JP: With Juddy out for the first three how do you go about covering his loss?

BR: We've looked at a few things over the NAB Cup series. We've had a look at how we can change the mix in there. We've trialled a few things with our midfield with Chris in it and out of it.

JP: On leadership you've had Leading Teams in since late last year - how have you seen their influence?

BR: I've been very impressed with Ray McLean and the program that he's put to the players and also the coaches and the footy department. It's not just a players' program. It's actually a full club program which I'm going through with Ray to look at certain things in our business like how we can get better as a coaching group.

Whether it's the football side of it, the board or whoever it is, he'll work with them, but we've really concentrated on the players and the football department first of all.

It's worked extremely well. The questions that need to be asked are asked a lot more of the players and from player to player. They deal with some in-your-face type scenarios,  which is all part of life as well.

JP: You're not going to publicly name your leadership group as part of that. What's the thinking there?

BR: Well it's our leadership group and no one else's, but if it gets out, it gets out.

It is [a bit out of the ordinary] but it's something we discussed. Does anyone need to know? It's our business and people lead on the field, so hopefully everyone will be able to work out through their actions who's leading the team on the field and around the club.

I will tell you Juddy's in there.   

JP: What are your impressions of your latest draft class? Are we likely to see them on the field in the early part of the season or a little later on?

BR: I think Marcus Davies and Kane Lucas might be [in line for senior action] and Rohan Kerr has shown that he can play as well. He's a very talented player with his skills and cleverness - he reminds me a bit of Robbie Gray from Port Adelaide.

It's a hard one. I hope we don't see them too quickly because I'd like them to develop as young men and not rush them into the system. It depends on our [fit] personnel and the form of our players.

Hopefully they're pushing up pretty soon, but could they play in round one? Maybe Lucas, but I would tend to say no. I won't say never because it might pan out that way.

JP: There was a lot of outside opinion that had you needing to take a tall prospect with your first draft pick after the departure of Brendan Fevola. You're always protective of your kids but did you feel like you had to put a bit of extra time into Kane after you decided to draft a midfielder?

BR: There's no extra expectation on Kane compared to the other two. Is he Fev's replacement? No. Strategically we thought we would pick the best player available and if a tall was there and there wasn't much between the two we probably would have gone for the tall. At the end of the day we picked the best player.

As we worked through we really attacked the talls in the rookie draft. We took an abundance of big men and hopefully we find one who can stand up.

We've been really pleased with some of their form. Simon White has shown that he's maybe capable of making the grade as a taller type backman. Joe Dare has only played one game back after a bit of OP soreness. Josh Donaldson has played a NAB Challenge game, Levi Casboult's played a NAB Challenge game, so we've got some time into the kids who are probably a bit longer away but we are going to give them that time.

We took four talls and we might find three [AFL players], we might find four, we might find one, but we had the ability to do that at the back end of that draft which I think was pretty important for us. We think we might find a player of the future from those picks.

JP: You've got a couple of spots for nominated rookies again this year. Have you made any decisions on that yet?

BR: I'd say we're probably leaning towards Jeff Garlett. He'll probably be the first one that we bring up with his speed [to complement] Yarran and Betts. We'll probably leave the last spot open for now, but if I had to pick one at the moment White is probably in front. There's a lot of footy to be played and with the balance of your list it will be pretty critical to work out from a needs point of view and a capability point of view who can play where.

JP: The early part of your fixture looks pretty brutal on paper, with your skipper missing the first three games not helping. You play six of last year's finalists in succession after round one. Have you got a break-even point in mind?

BR: How do you look at it though? Do you go into any game and say 'well let's break even?' We've got to play those teams whether we play them now or later in the season. I think it will allow us to see the growth of our group. 

Would you rather Chris Judd in the team or out? Well of course you'd rather he was in, but he's not and we can't do anything about that. We've known that for six months and we're playing Richmond, Brisbane [at the Gabba], Essendon, Adelaide over there and the list goes on, but that's the challenge put in front of our group.

I think for our team and where we sit if you look at it with a glass-half-empty view you'll get a negative result. We need people to stand up and take responsibility and I think it's just a great challenge for us.

Our expectations don't change whether that [tough] eight-week block is here or there. There's no easy games in this competition now. If you're not on your game and switched on you'll pay a price whether you're playing the premiers or another team it won't change.

JP: Having tasted finals action last year it's fair to say there will be raised expectations amongst Blues supporters. What are your expectations internally?

BR: To play finals again is our focus this year. Where we finish will be something that we work out as we grow as a team. We want to win as many games as we need to make the finals, whether that's 12 or whatever. To put a win-loss number on it is hard to say, but we'd obviously like to be in the top 50 per cent of the competition and win more games than we lose. That's pretty simple and open-ended but that's where we see our team at the moment.

JP: The biggest question asked of the Blues over the summer has been 'where are the goals going to come from?' Have you seen enough to be confident that you can kick a winning score regularly?

BR: Last week we had 27 shots on goal and couple out on the full so we nearly had 30 shots on goal from 47 entries and some of our entries were very poor. From that point of view I think we're going to have enough shots at goal … so I'm not too worried about how we're going to get them. I think we've got enough talent there to get the shots on goal, but it will be interesting. Sometimes we'll have to be a bit patient with our game.

That might mean a first half - like we saw in some games last year - where it was four goals to four goals at half time and it opens up toward the end where teams get 12 to 13 goals each.

It's about our ability to be patient … and monitor how the game is going and then executing accordingly. I think that will allow us to score. Last week we probably needed to get our marks inside 50 up a little bit more so we can control the situation rather than it be a general play scenario.

JP: Lachie Henderson has worn a fair bit of expectation in terms picking up some of the slack left by Fev. What have seen from him since he came to the club?

BR: He started a bit slow [through illness], but he's going well and is working extremely hard off the ball which is pleasing.

Some of our expectations of people in this competition do amaze me sometimes. Does Lachie Henderson replace Brendan Fevola? Well Brendan is 29 and Lachie has just turned 20. I don't know where Brendan sat at 20 years of age at our footy club, but I don't think he had played a lot of games of football and the expectations of him were completely different.

I think the expectation we put on players is out of kilter with their development as they learn the game. You do get freaks like Chris Judd virtually jumping from the draft and playing some great football, but I think it's more the longevity of the journey for players that's important.

I think how we measure people is really unfair because we give them six or 18 months in the system and say he should be doing this or that.

JP: Are you prepared to get asked about your former No.25 every time things aren't going well up forward?

BR: He's not part of our plans, he's gone. I'm prepared to be asked, but there's nothing to talk about. He's at another club, so from our point of view when we play Brisbane we'll look at him as we would when we play Adelaide and we look at Kurt Tippett in terms of their forward line structure.

The same when we go into Richmond - we'll look at Jack Riewoldt and Mitch Morton or Graham Polak.

JP: Brock McLean was a big signing in the off-season. How have you seen his first few months at the club?

BR: I think Brock started slow. I think his pre-season early doors was outstanding and I don't know whether there was a bit of a dip in his preparation there, but I think his last few weeks at senior level have been very good. He won a lot of the ball again on the weekend and I think he's fitted in well.

I think the balance around him is very critical. How we can let him play to his strengths and let players around him assist him in his role. He'll help us win the inside footy - there's no doubt about that.

JP: Jarrad Waite - forward or back?

BR: We played him a bit of everything the other day to try and get him into the game a bit. He played back against West Coast and did a pretty good job first up, but probably last week was a bit of second-week blues to a certain degree. It's just good he's out there and he's a big part of our future.

JP: You've got four young ruckmen who all have a fair bit to offer. How do you see them being used? Can you take more than two into a match?

BR: Well it depends. If you play Matthew Kreuzer up forward that changes the mix and that is an option that we've got down the track. Early doors we won't go that way, we'll probably go with [two] and there will be a real fight for that spot as the secondary ruckman.

JP: How's your list looking for round one?

BR: We've got another game next Friday to top a few of the guys up. Waite, Marc Murphy and Dennis Armfield will play in that so hopefully we can get enough petrol tickets into their tanks. We think from GPS numbers that they won't be too bad.

We'll have a look at that and I suppose that will be important at the selection table … because probably the first time we played Richmond [in 2008] we took a bit of an undermanned team in and we paid a price and the next year we took a real healthy team in and we got a good reward for that.

JP: Entering your third full season in charge are you happy with how the playing list is taking shape?

BR: I think from the experience point of view of where we'd like to sit in terms of age and games played we might be down a little bit. That probably went down a bit with Nick Stevens going out, trades and even someone like Cameron Cloke leaving with 50-odd games experience.

I think if you look at age and experience, the top four last year are the top four again this year. It shows you that you need experience to compete week in, week out successfully.

From that point of view we probably went backwards a little bit, but I think that's exciting as well because we get to put some more games into some of our kids.

This year we'll change a bit structurally, our personnel will change and our experience will grow again. I think we're tracking where we'd like to be.

We've seen some dramatic improvements in the body shapes of some of our players in the last six months which I think will hold us in good stead in 2011 and 2012.

We need to make sure that as a club, and for our supporters as well, we're patient in what we do. The expectations and the way we play sometimes might not be the prettiest football we've seen, but our results will hopefully back that up. 

To get your nose in front at the right times, they're the ones that you want to win, and I think that's where our club is headed towards. If we get ourselves into those arm wrestles we need to give ourselves the opportunity to get our noses in front more times than not.