AFL.com.au reporter Nick Bowen gives his take on Carlton's season ahead:
Best 22
B: Zach Tuohy, Michael Jamison, Andrew Walker
HB: Chris Yarran, Sam Rowe, Simon White
C: Kade Simpson, Chris Judd, Dale Thomas
HF: Troy Menzel, Lachie Henderson, Andrejs Everitt
F: Dylan Buckley, Levi Casboult, Liam Jones
Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy
I/C: Patrick Cripps, Andrew Carrazzo, Kristian Jaksch
Sub: Sam Docherty
Health of the list
The Blues will enter 2015 in far better shape than last season, with Andrew Walker (knee) and Matthew Kreuzer (foot) the only players under significant injury clouds. Chris Judd, Lachie Henderson, Dale Thomas, Sam Docherty and Andrew Carrazzo are among a host of Blues who will enter this season on the back of vastly better preparations.
The big questions
Can the Blues cover Jarrad Waite's departure? Waite remains an elite contested mark and will leave a significant hole in Carlton's forward line. Henderson, Levi Casboult and Liam Jones will need to step up in his absence.
Can Kreuzer get back to his best? The hard-working tall has been cursed with foot injuries over the past 18 months. Can he overcome them and become the versatile ruckman/forward the Blues believe he can be?
Will Thomas be one of the competition's best players again? The former Magpie seems to be over the ankle problems that troubled him for the past three seasons and Carlton is confident he can again be the dominant midfielder he was in 2010-11.
Summer standout
Patrick Cripps has taken significant strides with his fitness this pre-season, having worked with a personal running coach when he was home in Perth over the off-season. The 20-year-old has the big-bodied frame of the modern midfielder and his strong NAB Challenge form suggests he is ready to make an impact in 2015.
Fantasy cash cow
Cripps could prove one of the bargains of 2015 at his starting price of $163,000. Injury kept the midfielder to three games in his debut season last year, but the West Australian underlined his AFL Fantasy scoring potential with 119 points in Sunday's NAB Challenge loss to Geelong.
Sudden impact
After an injury-delayed start to his first pre-season at Ikon Park, former Giant Kristian Jaksch quickly found his feet in the Blues' backline during the NAB Challenge. Playing all three pre-season games, Jaksch showed enough to suggest he will give Michael Jamison and Sam Rowe much-needed aerial support in the Blues' defensive 50 this year.
It's crunch time for …
Mick Malthouse. The three-time premiership coach comes out of contract at the end of this season and Carlton has signalled it will delay a decision on his future until later this year. After turning over 22 players in the past two years, the Blues are in a transitional phase and at best seem capable of sneaking into the finals. As such, Malthouse might be judged on his ability to develop the Blues' youngsters in 2015 as much as his team's ladder finish.
Pivotal match
Carlton has a tough four-match stretch from round 15, playing Richmond, Fremantle (Domain Stadium), Hawthorn and North Melbourne. If its finals chances are still alive after this, the round 19 match against Collingwood looks like being a crunch game. The Magpies appear to be one of the teams directly competing with Carlton for a spot in the bottom reaches of the eight and the Blues would relish the chance to put a dent in their old rival's September plans.
The Blues will have a good year if …
Judd, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Chris Yarran, Michael Jamison and Kade Simpson stay fit, Henderson steps up as their forward-line leader and youngsters such as Troy Menzel, Cripps, Sam Docherty and Dylan Buckley continue to develop.
