Pat Lam feels, with a tough first year under his belt, he can lead Blues into the Super 14 semifinals, writes Michael Brown.
One thing rugby league guru Wayne Bennett emphasised to Pat Lam was never to listen to opinions from fans, media and "experts", good or bad.
"The minute you do that," Bennett explained during a meeting in 2005, "is the minute you start doubting yourself and join them on the sidelines."
Bennett is a rarity in professional sport. He coached the Brisbane Broncos for 21 years, snaring six NRL titles, before joining the St George-Illawarra Dragons last season.
He is also a former Kangaroos and Queensland State of Origin coach and played a significant role in helping the Kiwis win the 2008 World Cup.
Bennett's words have always stuck with Lam and they became especially pertinent after the Blues' miserable 2009 Super 14 campaign, when they lurched to ninth.
Lam became the focus of much debate. Many questioned his coaching abilities as the Blues again underachieved and his relationship with chief executive Andy Dalton suffered as the pair became entangled in a series of fractious meetings about the direction of the franchise during a rigorous review process.
Lam cuts a relaxed figure now. Pre-season does that. The sun is shining, every team is on the same level, with visions of winning the competition, and fans have little to complain about.
He talks about his "good" relationship with Dalton and a "very supportive" board.
Lam has always been an amiable individual but he is undoubtedly in a much better place than 12 months ago.
Last January, the 42-year-old former All Black loose forward and Manu Samoa captain was a couple of months into his new job as Blues coach, his first at Super Rugby level. The problem was that he was playing catch-up because of his involvement with Auckland's Air New Zealand Cup campaign and doing things in January that should have been done months earlier.
That, coupled with a horrendous injury toll that meant not once did the Blues put out their strongest team, saw his side struggle.
There can be no such excuses this time around. Injuries, of course, will happen. But Lam has had ample time to prepare for this year's campaign - meaning 2010 looms as a big one in his coaching career.
He enjoyed success with Auckland, winning the national provincial title in 2005 and 2007, and players talk about their fondness for Lam.
Some commentators even see him as a potential All Blacks coach, and Lam is ambitious, but success with the Blues needs to come first.
"I go in with the confidence that I know this team better, the competition better and, most importantly, have had the time to prepare properly," he says.
"I believe in what I am doing and I believe in the people around me. We are confident the team we have will do really well in this competition."
That means making the semifinals, something they have done only once since the Blues won the competition in 2003. Their successive finishing positions of fifth, seventh, eighth, fourth, sixth and ninth is an unacceptable return for a franchise with the resources of the Blues.
"It's not a good look," Lam offers. "There are a lot of reasons for it and there are different challenges about this city.
"It's about ownership and responsibility from everyone in this team, from players and management. That's what we are driving now.
"We have a collective responsibility to get this team where it should be and that's right up there. We have to be in the semifinals and, if you are doing that, you are competitive."
What is fuelling Lam's confidence is the make-up of his side. He emerged from the bargaining table with rival Super 14 franchises with the 28-man squad he wanted.
It is a good, well-balanced squad with pace and excitement out wide and enough grunt up front to compete with the best forward packs. They also have 12 past or present All Blacks at their disposal.
Crucially, they have recruited well in key positions and there are high hopes Stephen Brett and Alby Mathewson will finally solve the tangled first five-eighths/halfback puzzle. Likewise, openside Serge Lilo provides the Blues with an effective forager at the breakdown.
"We identified 7, 8, 9 and 10 as a massive area," Lam says. "We needed a driver, and we have that in Steve and Dan [Kirkpatrick, the likely back-up first five-eighth]. Alby is the sort of guy we were looking for to drive the forward pack around; a real nuggety, fiery guy.
"Seven was also critical. In this area, we possess good ball carriers, but we wanted someone who is a pain in the neck, someone good at the breakdown. Serge Lilo and Tom Chamberlain can do that.
One glaring failing last season was the Blues' defence. While their return of 339 points for was second highest in the competition, they conceded 369 points. Only the Lions (419) and Reds (380) were worse and Lam pinpoints their rushed preparations as the chief cause.
"Defence is a sign of the trust within a team," he says. "The trust comes from communication and that comes from a good culture. It's an area we have put a lot of work into. We have related a lot of our defence on culture."
It has helped that captain Keven Mealamu and vice captain Ali Williams have been involved throughout the pre-season campaign - both missed last year's All Black tour of Europe.
Training has been tough. Lam believes it brings a side together. Last week, the players completed the arduous mud "run" at the Devonport Naval Base and the coach liked what he saw in terms of their attitude.
The Blues need a good season. That much is irrefutable, as much for themselves as their long-suffering fans.
But Pat Lam also needs the Blues to have a good season to prove he can coach at this level.
