CARLTON will possibly unveil all of its new arrivals during the NAB Cup, with coach Brett Ratten indicating the Blues will try to play all of their first-year players during the pre-season competition.

The club is also confident injured trio Chris Judd, Michael Jamison and Jarrad Waite will be fit to play during the latter stages of the NAB Cup.

Ratten told The Age that, if possible, he will play all of the club's first-year players as well as second-year youngsters who had not been exposed to much, or any, top-flight football.

"Blokes in their first and second year, there will be a real emphasis and push to give them a taste of AFL footy," Ratten said, adding that the first week of the NAB Cup was an ideal opportunity to blood youngsters.

That was despite NAB Cup's trial interchange rules of two plus two substitutes making it harder to experiment.

"Knowing, too, with the new interchange structure it doesn't allow you to take a couple that you think 'we'll give them a taste for a quarter' ... the new rules probably eliminate that, which is a real shame," he said.

"They actually have to play the four quarters ... if we can get them there, we'd love to play them."

Ratten said lightly-built father-son recruit Dylan Buckley and fellow draftees Josh Bootsma, and mature-age key forward Sam Rowe, were all in the mix to play during the pre-season competition, along with rookies such as ex-Saint Nick Heyne and Frazer Dale.

Second-year players Pat McCarthy and Andrew McInnes were also strong chances to feature during the NAB Cup.

And in a massive boost for the Blues, Judd (shoulder) and Jamison (back) have been slated to play at the back end of the pre-season competition.

Ratten said Judd, the Blues' captain, had joined in contact work at training this week for the first time since he had shoulder surgery earlier this summer, and would definitely be fit to play in the second or third week of the NAB Cup.

''He got knocked around a bit [during training] and grabbed a bit … he was in the contact drills,'' the coach said.

Jamison, one of the most important players on Carlton's list, was spared a potential three-month layoff thanks to an early detection of a stress reaction in his back, but will still be sidelined for about six weeks.

The 25-year-old is aiming to play in the third week of the pre-season competition, having been rested from training this week.

"The plans [for Jamison] would be, going forward, round three NAB Cup series. We'll push on from there. So that's where it sits with him. Chris will be around the same week, whether it's week two," Ratten said.

Ratten also said star forward Waite was expected to play in either week two or three of the NAB Cup, as the club slowly eased him through the pre-season.

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