Coach: Brett Ratten
Captain: Chris Judd
Finished 2009: 7th (13 wins, nine losses)
Best and fairest: Chris Judd
Leading goalkicker: Brendan Fevola (89 goals)
Leading possession winner: Bryce Gibbs (615)
NEW PERSONNEL
On-field: Brock McLean, Lachie Henderson (exchange period), Kane Lucas, Rohan Kerr, Marcus Davies (NAB AFL Draft), Jaryd Cachia, Levi Casboult, Joe Dare, Josh Donaldson, Zac Tuohy, Simon White (NAB AFL Rookie Draft)
Off-field: Nil
BEST 22
B: Dennis Armfield, Michael Jamison, Bret Thornton
HB: Jordan Russell, Jarrad Waite, Andrew Carrazzo
C: Kade Simpson, Brock McLean, Bryce Gibbs
HF: Mitch Robinson, Setanta O'hAilpin, Andrew Walker
F: Eddie Betts, Lachie Henderson, Chris Yarran
Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Chris Judd, Marc Murphy
I/C: Paul Bower, Robbie Warnock, Aaron Joseph, Heath Scotland
MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER
Chris Judd - the skipper has already got two John Nicholls Medals to his name since crossing from West Coast ahead of the 2008 season. He has been the driving force behind the Blues' on-field revival and it will be interesting to see how they fare during his three-game suspension to start the season.
UP AND COMER
Mitch Robinson - the fiery half-forward impressed last year before being sidelined by a stress fracture and will attack his second season with the benefit of a full pre-season behind him. He's already shown a great deal of improvement in the pre-season match program so far with fans still talking about the hanger he took in the Blues' intra-club match.
NEEDS A BIG YEAR
Chris Johnson - the half-back flanker's first season at the club was disrupted by thigh and hamstring injuries, but it's fair to say his form when he was fit wasn't the greatest. His decision-making let him down at times with the resultant turnovers seeing him spend time in the VFL.
CHANGING TACK
The departure of Brendan Fevola leaves a gaping hole in the Blues' attack, but it also allows coach Brett Ratten to recast his forward line into something that he hopes will give his blue-chip midfield more options to kick to. Getting the ball inside 50 hasn't really been Carlton's problem under Ratten, but it remains to be seen if the likes of Lachie Henderson, Setanta O'hAilpin and, occasionally, Jarrad Waite or Matthew Kreuzer can provide the appropriate marking power. Ratten will be counting on a strong contest at the very least from his talls, allowing the likes of Eddie Betts, Chris Yarran and Mitch Robinson to go to work when the ball hits the deck.
INJURY LIST
Brad Fisher (knee) - 11 weeks
WHAT THE CLUB SAYS
"Playing in the forward line with Brendan gone there are a lot of us who have to step up, but I'm sure we can share that workload between five or six of us. Each player in the forward line can contribute a lot [more] now which is good.
"I think we'll have a very unpredictable forward line which will be great. Oppositions won't know exactly who we're going to [inside 50] which will be a massive bonus for us I think." - Setanta O'hAilpin
CRYSTAL BALL
The Blues will be hoping for a good start to the post-Fev era, but their schedule early in the season is brutal with six of their first seven matches against finalists from last year. Judd's early absence through suspension only compounds the issue. The fixture does get a little friendlier around the halfway point, but with queries over their scoring power, they will probably be fighting for a spot in the lower reaches of the eight this season.
SEASON OPENER
Thursday March 25 v Richmond at the MCG.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
