SENIOR Coach David Teague is confident that his side will be ready to roll once the 2020 season is given the green light.

Speaking to Fox Footy on Tuesday night, Teague believed that - given the proximity to the pre-season and the amount of work put in - the Blues have a strong foundation. In Teague’s eyes, this will allow them to return close to match-ready fitness.

Having been given last week to reboot after the AFL season was postponed, the team will now begin working on their individualised training programs set into action by Director of High Performance Andrew Russell.

As the players continue to work hard on their fitness away from Ikon Park, Teague believed that they would only need a three or four week block to recondition to the physicality of the game.

“From a football point of view, I don’t think we’ll need long on our strategy or structure,” Teague said.

“The players know it, they’re ready to go. It’s just going to be from a conditioning point of view.

“It depends on how long they’re out and away from the Club. As much as you can train, it’s very hard to replicate that intensity.

“If they’re out for the four weeks as planned at this stage, I think we only need three weeks to get them back up and going.”

The other challenge facing Teague and the football department during this period is continuing to engage the players mentally.

Teague revealed a number of the measures currently being implemented by the club to ensure that the players have the support during their time away.

Like many people, however, Teague and the Blues are adapting to their lives through video conferencing, exploring many of the features and new social etiquettes involved with programs such as Zoom.

“We’ve got a meeting at 10am every morning where the players can choose to join in and have a coffee and have a chat,” he said.

“I’ve got to be honest, the first one was a little bit awkward. It’s a little bit weird that there are 45 of us there and who’s talking. Everyone would go to talk and then no-one would go to talk.

“Samo Petrevski-Seton kept us all laughing and the boys had more fun changing their backdrops.”

Aside from the fun and games, it’s still very much business as usual for Teague, who has also begun his individual weekly chats with players to keep their minds thinking about football.

“I sat there today with Sam Walsh and watched his game. We only got to quarter time and just went through some stuff and asked some questions to keep them thinking with more of a football purpose,” he said.

“That’s the real challenge. Making sure that they all have a purpose right now with what they’re doing.

“Being at home is different to normal so we’ve got to try and create that purpose to give them something to really aim for.”