Judd did not see out the disappointing loss to the Collingwood but Brett Ratten declared the captain 100 per cent recovered from a knock to a pectoral muscle.
His availability is a huge boost for the Blues who copped a stinging rebuke from their coach after the 48-point defeat.
The coach publicly questioned the hardness of his charges immediately following that game and later re-affirmed a laser-like focus on contested football in a “healthy discussion” behind closed doors.
“We talked about our response ... and I think the group understands fully where we sit. Only our actions can do the talking now,” Ratten said from Visy Park.
“We had a good conversation [on Sunday]. It wasn’t a yell-fest. Collectively we are in the boat together; collectively, we were poor in that area so it’s something that we need to address."
Ratten said the match would provide his club with its "biggest defining moment" of its season, but refused to adopt an all-or-nothing approach to the outcome.
“It probably is partially a line in the sand [game] - I wouldn’t say it’s a full line in the sand ... We’ve had a look at the contested ball and if we fix that area of our game we’ll start to play more efficient footy, our confidence will grow, we’ll beat the opposition in that part of the game and we’ll deny them the footy," he said.
“That’s one aspect of the game that we can [change] right here, right now and Friday night we’ll have to do it.”
While Ratten did not step away from his post-match spray he added that he did not think his playing group was inherently soft, but rather was in need of a confidence boost as it tries to reclaim the fierce attack on the ball that served it so well in the first half of the season.
“We can do it. I think it’s just an attitude at the moment,” he said.
“Whether it’s the confidence side of it or whether it’s becoming more introverted about your own performance and not helping others or being reactive - I think that’s all part of it.”
Ratten forecast between two and four changes for the clash, but did not go into who was in the firing line.
His side has copped plenty of criticism since Saturday’s match, but Ratten would not buy into the generally gloomy forecast as the season enters its final month.
“We have to respond to that performance and we have to turn it around, but the focus seems very doom on us as a group,” he said.
“I find that very interesting ... because we’re in the eight and we can do something about it.
“We have four weeks to do something about it. We’re in the eight - we’re seventh - our performance [last week] was unacceptable, there’s no doubt about.
“In a physical encounter I thought we fell away poorly. There’s no doubt Collingwood are at the top of their game, they’re playing outstanding football, but we were very, very average.
"It’s about us.”
