BRENDON Bolton is under no illusions about extent of the challenge he's facing as new Carlton coach.
"It's a tough brutal game, we know that, so the challenge is big, but life's about challenges," Bolton says.
"This was a great challenge to build something sustainable.
"It wasn't like I was going to take over a top-of-the-ladder team here. It was about a challenge to build something sustainable from the ground up."
Bolton was speaking at Carlton's pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast last week.
In a broad-ranging interview with a small group of reporters, Bolton's excitement at being part of Carlton's rebuild – he prefers the term "reset" – was evident.
The former Tasmanian state league player was part of three premiership seasons in his five years as a Hawthorn assistant coach, but did not hesitate to join a club at the opposite pole of the AFL ladder.
He knows the Blues' journey back to on-field respectability will be a long one, full of "twists and turns and some bumps", but he can't wait to ride the rollercoaster from the front seat.
But one question nagged at us: what will constitute a successful first season at the helm for Bolton?
We knew ladder position wouldn't be everything for a club that finished last in 2015, its four wins for the season clinching the Blues' fourth wooden spoon in the past 14 seasons.
We also knew the Blues had taken a long-term view in October's trade period, waving goodbye to potential match-winners Chris Yarran and Troy Menzel – Lachie Henderson had earlier successfully requested a trade to Geelong – to stockpile the raft of early picks that netted them exciting young talents Jacob Weitering, Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow and David Cuningham.
So, in this context, what inroads do the Bolton Blues have to make in 2016 for us to know – or at least sense – that the former Box Hill Hawks senior coach has the club on the right track?
What signs do we need to see to sense that Bolton can, unlike many previous highly credentialed former assistants, make the step up to senior coaching?
We put the question to Bolton simply: "What criteria will you use to judge whether next season has been successful."
The Blues coach is understandably approaching 2016 with his mind on the big picture.
"Hopefully, this year lays some foundations that will set us up for years to come," Bolton says.
But he will be judging himself, his new-look coaching staff, the Blues players and the rest of the club on some specific criteria.
Brendon Bolton describes Patrick Cripps with one word: professional. Picture: AFL Media
First, as the former teacher has said from his first day at Ikon Park, he wants to create a learning environment in which the players are active participants.
He wants his players to be able to think for themselves and, where appropriate, to challenge things they're being taught. Any player who thinks he can daydream his way through meetings next year is in for a rude shock.
Second, Bolton wants the club as a whole to become more united. So he won't just be assessing how effectively everyone in Carlton's football department works together next season, he wants to see "really strong relationships" forged between the football department and the club's administration staff.
Third, he will judge the club on its transparency to its members. He says it's important that the Blues' loyal followers know that the club is on a journey that in the short-term will have more downs than ups.
Bolton is buoyed that this message already seems to be getting through, pointing to Carlton's record pre-Christmas membership of 31,006 as of Monday.
The 36-year-old won't be assessing the Blues' 2016 season on such "holistic" criteria alone.
"I do want to say we've got some youngsters in our group that if we can see some little sprouts of their improvement over the course of the year, I think that will be successful as well," he says.
In this regard, Bolton has challenged all of the Blues' draftees not to put a ceiling on what they can achieve next season.
He also seems a coach who will prize the single-minded pursuit of excellence.
He no doubt saw that steely focus in Hawthorn leaders such as Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis and Jarryd Roughead, and where that took the Hawks in his time at Waverley.
You sense he now sees that same focus in third-year Carlton midfielder Patrick Cripps.
Asked what opinion he had formed of Cripps since joining Carlton, Bolton said: "The way in which he's returned in terms of his physical condition says to me he's a professional. The other thing it says to me is after winning a best and fairest at a young age (in 2015) there's no level of complacency."
"My impressions of him? Professional."
Bolton spoke with obvious excitement and the emphasis he put on the word professional left you in no doubt it's an attitude he values extremely highly.
He also wants all of his players, from captain Marc Murphy down to his raw first-year players, to become better leaders, something that will be a big focus for the rest of the pre-season.
As for seeking feedback himself, Bolton says he has some mentors outside Carlton but expects he will only consult them next year on "value decisions".
When he wants feedback on football matters, he will seek it internally, mostly from his football department staff and players.
The vibes coming from Carlton players about their new coach are very positive at this early stage.
Brendon Bolton took his Blues to the Gold Coast last week. Picture: AFL Media
Vice-captain Bryce Gibbs had this to say about Bolton's new game-plan: "It's a lot different to what we've been used to but it's been a really good difference, so I'm really enjoying working under him so far.
"We've probably had to change things across the whole board. We've got to get better at our offence, we've got to get better at our defence, so we're trying to strip it right back and start again, and it's been really good."
Spearhead Levi Casboult is enjoying Bolton's different approach to team meetings: "I just really like his way of coaching/teaching. Everything is really interactive, we don't just sit there and watch a presentation to learn the game plan."
"He actually interacts with us and gets us interacting with each other, which is really good."
Every Carlton official we spoke to on the Gold Coast was similarly enthusiastic about the early impression Bolton had made at Ikon Park.
But, as any footy-head knows, the cold, hard realities of a home and away season can quickly burst even the biggest bubbles of pre-season positivity.
Bolton knows the bumps are coming. But he'll embrace them, confident they'll be stepping stones that will make him, Carlton's players, coaching staff and the wider club stronger on their journey back up the ladder.
It's a journey we'll watch with interest.
