A NEW season starts now.

AFL Senior Coach Josh Fraser and Carlton heads into Saturday night’s unprecedented wildcard final knowing that “nothing is guaranteed” against a resurgent Melbourne outfit.

Ahead of a blockbuster clash at the MCG, here’s what Fraser had to say in his pre-match press conference.

On the prospect of this week:

“We’re excited. It’s nice to still be playing football at this time of year, having an opportunity to play a side that over the course of the season has been in great form. They’re a dangerous team, so we need to be well-prepared, train well today and set ourselves up.”

On the threat of Max Gawn:

“It’s challenging. ‘Pitto’ has been in really strong form for us, we’ve got a lot of confidence that he’ll be able to nullify some of Max’s influence - as good as Max has been.

“Then there’s the obvious one where Max is able to influence around the ground: we’ll plan for that as best we can and acknowledge he’s a great player that will have an impact. We’re going to have to make sure we can nullify that.”

On the threat of Kysaiah Pickett:

“Similar answer. He’s got the ability to break a game open quickly.

“I’d like to think we can lean into some of the things that we’ve been doing really well as a team, lean into the strengths we bring and have the awareness of what we may need to do with those types of players. He’s had a fantastic season, an exceptional player and one we have to be aware of.”

On what kind of confidence the Blues take into Saturday night:

“Nothing is guaranteed. Our confidence has come from the way we’ve prepared and what our training standards have looked like, plus the hunger to get better. That’s been a real focus for us.

“We understand that you have to earn everything you get in this game, and nothing will be guaranteed on Saturday night. We’ll have to be well-prepared, but there’s a level of belief that we’re building towards the style of football we want to play. The challenge is to be as consistent as you can be, particularly against these teams.”

On ‘not being a classic 10th-placed team’:

“That’s where the ladder says we are. I’ve prefaced this the whole way through, I think we’re still a work in progress. The form line stacks up, but each week presents a different challenge. There’s nobody inside our football club getting carried away with what the last 14 weeks has looked like.

“There’s a really deliberate and focused approach to how we continue to get better, and acknowledge that we’ve got a fantastic opportunity against a team this week that have been in really good form. We’re excited to play in front of a big crowd hopefully full of our supporters.”

On playing the MCG after two losses at the venue last month:

“One of those blips were in conditions I haven’t really seen for a long time, against a really robust team in the Hawks. The other blip was in a game where we lost a couple of players, where over the course of the game I thought impacted the way we wanted to play.

“We have to become a team that can play anywhere against any opposition. We haven’t set the game up so much around the ground, but rather what we need to execute. We had a pretty good performance against Geelong there.”

On Will Hayward and Nick Haynes’ potential availability:

“Hopeful. Both will train today and seem to be tracking the right way. Anything can happen in a main session, we’ll make an assessment with where they sit post-training. Both seem to be tracking in the right direction.”

On recalling players after injury layoffs:

“There’s fit to play and fit to perform - they need to be fit to perform. The load and the toll it puts on the group if they’re not able to get through is too great, particularly with the way the game is played at the moment. We need to be comfortable and confident that they can perform.”

On the players being overawed by the occasion this week:

“I haven’t sensed that as a challenge. The consistency that we’ve built as a group inside the football club has been really impressive. All they’re talking about is training really well today. There’s an awareness of the occasion, there has to be - there’s only two games in Melbourne this weekend, there’s an excitement around that.

“But our players are really understanding of the part of our game we need to improve at training and what we need to be able to bring to tackle Melbourne. That’s one thing internally that I’ve felt I haven’t had to drive too much in terms of staying present - the boys have done a great job of that.”

On previous Carlton teams experiencing a big run in September:

“The only thing I’d say to that is I haven’t experienced that with this group. For me, we worry about what is happening right now. Our playing group has changed a fair bit since we experienced finals in the past.

“I’d love to think that we can look forward rather than look too far back. You get to this time of year and there’s a high level of excitement, but this is a new group, we’re a new team. We’re trying to build our own identity. It’ll very much be about the now for us.”

On the potential of a high-scoring game against the Dees:

“They’ve been super impressive, ‘Kingy’ has done a great job with them. They’ve been so consistent over the course of the season.

“We’ve had a good ability to defend the ground well, which will be important on Saturday night, and we’ve also shown an ability to move the ball in offence as well. It’ll be an interesting battle.”

On finals marking ‘a new season’:

“This is a bit of a unique situation for me and for us. I’ve been in the interim role for 14 weeks, we’ve had a 14-week season - I’ve spoken to the players about this. There’s an element that you want to embrace the occasion, and you should - it’s an exciting occasion to play finals football.

“And then there’s the reality of where we’ve been and where we’re at right now as a club, that we need to continue to build our brand. We’re a work in progress. A lot of my philosophies haven’t changed a lot in terms of looking after today and making sure we prepare as well as we can, but I want the players to enjoy the build-up as well.”

On the awards received by Jagga Smith and Harry Dean earlier this week:

“It was fantastic. Even to have Billy Wilson and Talor Byrne there as Rising Star nominees, I’ve spoken about the excitement of our young players. Those are the guys that have had nominations, but there are a lot of others we’re really excited about. Jack Ison has played football this year that I’m excited for.

“Jagga has had a very consistent season. You see what you see on the weekend, but his character in the building, he’s just a terrific young man that’s going to be a great leader of this football club. And Harry Dean has already attached himself to our supporters, he’s a cult hero already and we love having him at the Club.

“I’m really excited about our young group and proud that they were acknowledged the way they were earlier in the week.”

On the young players embracing a big game:

“They’ll be fine. They’ll be completely fine. They’re good young kids who have calm heads on their shoulders, and they’re well-supported by our experienced players. This is a space we’ve grown in.

“We’ve stayed really well-connected and nobody feels like they’re alone out there. I expect that to be the same.”

On coaching against Steven King:

“I’ve really enjoyed watching ‘Kingy’s’ journey this year. We’re both Goulburn Valley boys, he’s Shepparton and I’m from Mansfield. I’ve followed his pathway into the AFL, to see him have the career he had and then move into coaching, he’s a great fella and I wish him all the best… just not so much this weekend.”