THE SKY'S the limit for Brett Ratten's Blues as optimism abounds at Visy Park following a resurgent 2008 season.

Arrivals
Onfield: Exchange period - Robert Warnock (Fremantle), Rookie elevation - Michael Jamison, NAB AFL Draft - Rhys O'Keefe (North Adelaide), Mitch Robinson (Tassie Mariners), Caleb Tiller (Murray Bushrangers), Chris Yarran (Swan Districts), NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft - Chris Johnson (Melbourne), NAB AFL Rookie Draft - Greg Bentley (Port Adelaide), Jeff Garlett (Swan Districts), Lachie Hill (Carlton), Sam Jacobs (Carlton), Darren Pfeiffer (Carlton), Luke Stanton (Northern Knights).

Off-field: Darren Harris (director of development), Robert Harvey (development coach), enough assorted medical and fitness staff to fill a small gymnasium.

Departures
Onfield: Retired - Jason Saddington, Delisted - Cain Ackland, Clint Benjamin, Luke Blackwell, Ryan Jackson, Aisake O'hAilpin, Darren Pfeiffer, Lachie Hill (rookie), Sam Jacobs (rookie), Michael Shields (rookie)

Off field: Gavin Crosisca (assistant coach)

Pre-season training started: Tuesday, October 23

Pre-season training resumes: Monday, January 5 at Visy Park

Medical room
Fitness advisor Noel McCarthy gives us an insight

Brad Fisher (dislocated elbow): It was a bit of a setback for Brad, but his rehab is going well at the moment. He'll be in a brace for about three weeks and then we'll get him back into it. He can still do the running so it is a setback, but not a disastrous one.

Richard Hadley (groin): Hads is going really well. We've snuck him back into a bit of skills work, so he'll be into full training after Christmas.

Robbie Warnock (shoulder): Robbie's made some significant steps forward in the last couple of weeks. He's started to run and we expect to get him into full training early in the new year. We're focusing on getting some weight on him at the moment, so he's working closely with our dietitian and he's already made significant gains.

Joe Anderson (shoulder): Will resume full training after Christmas.

Matthew Kruezer (hip): Will resume full training after Christmas.

Who's burning?
I've been pretty impressed with most of the list actually. The boys really looked after themselves during the break which makes it a lot easier for the fitness staff to put some work into them. I think a lot of the younger guys are really going to put some pressure on some of the older blokes for a spot in the team next season.

Mark Austin, Bryce Gibbs, Shaun Grigg, Adam Hartlett, Lachie Hill and Shaun Hampson are a few of the younger blokes who have really taken significant steps in terms of their training and physique. 

– fitness advisor Noel McCarthy

Pre-season training camps
The Blues undertook a grueling four-day training camp that began on Tuesday, December 2, and took in several Victorian regional locations including Anglesea and Hall's Gap.

Pre-season training overview
The rehab group numbers are starting to come down and we should have most of the guys back in full training after Christmas. We had quite a few guys go in for surgery during the break, but most of those guys should be in full training post-Christmas.

We put together a fairly comprehensive program for the players over the off-season break. We put the pressure on them to come back in good shape. We had two weeks of testing when they first came back so basically how they tested was going to determine how the rest of the pre-season worked.

Having done the testing we were able to follow more of an individual path, so some guys got more running, some got more weights – we're trying tailor the program to exactly what they need.

Everyone across the league is improving so if you throw out a generic program you're probably not going to be up to scratch. You've really got to individualise.

– fitness advisor Noel McCarthy

What coach Brett Ratten says
"We put a real emphasis on their preparation and I thought last year we might have come back … not in the correct manner, you could say. So far the boys who have come back are in top shape. I think every player has met or bettered the skin-fold target we set for them.

"I think we’ll go forward next year. Maybe the big question mark is 'Will we go as quick as everyone believes?' Maybe, maybe not. I think 2010 is our real big 'bang' year from a club point of view because the Gibbses and Murphys will be in their fourth and fifth year."

-----------------------------------------------------
More 2009 pre-season reports
-----------------------------------------------------

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.