Malthouse made famous his "premiership clock" analogy during his time at Collingwood, with teams at or near midnight in the zone to contend for a flag.

Having overhauled his playing list since a semi-final loss to Sydney last season, and securing, most notably, Dale Thomas, the three-time premiership coach was asked on Saturday where he felt his team was positioned heading into Sunday night’s season opener against Port Adelaide.

Malthouse said the challenge was for the Blues to slip through the 11 o’clock zone during the season, with Hawthorn, Sydney, Fremantle and Geelong still firmly in the frame, among pundits, rival clubs and betting markets, to taste the ultimate success.

‘‘It’s a bit of a distorted clock, the way I see it,'' Malthouse said. ''I think the top four have every right to think it’s between 11 [o'clock] and one, and the rest of us, and we are one of those, we are caught in that bracket that, we are certainly not past one [o’clock]. I would say we are approaching 11 o’clock.

‘‘But I think there are a lot of sides approaching 11 o’clock. We have to differentiate that by part of the way through the season and say: ‘OK, some sides aren’t near that, and we want to be progressing through 11 o’clock and into it’.

‘‘I don’t see any reason why that can’t be the case. I haven’t got a crystal ball but we have a very good blend of senior players and we have a good blend in the middle. When you introduce to the football club [Dale] Thomas, a relatively young man, and [Andrejs] Everitt and [Sam] Docherty, all young from others clubs, and our three kids that we drafted, and two of them [Patrick Cripps and Nick Holman] are emergencies this week, that gives you an illustration that our blend of players is quite good.’’

The Blues made the finals last season only because Essendon defaulted as punishment for the supplements scandal. However, the Blues crunched Richmond in an elimination final that had the emotion of a grand final, only to be beaten by the Swans at ANZ Stadium a week later.

Leading commentators and retired champions Matthew Lloyd and Garry Lyon have tipped the Blues to finish 10th and 12th respectively, with Lloyd concerned that ageing stars Chris Judd, Jarrad Waite and Heath Scotland still rank among their best eight players.

Sunday’s clash against Port Adelaide - the first of six AFL matches in the new prime-time Sunday slot - will give the Blues a strong guide to where they sit. The Blues twice beat Port Adelaide last season, with the Power eventually reaching a semi-final, so a win at Etihad Stadium would show the Blues are on pace.

Malthouse said skipper Marc Murphy, after an injury-tainted 2013, and Thomas, having recovered from a long-term ankle injury, were ready for the new campaign.

‘‘Marc Murphy not only was going into a pre-season with a knee complaint and then he broke his cheekbone, he also had the burden of being a first-year captain. He is far better prepared,’’ Malthouse said.

Murphy, however, has denied the captaincy was a major issue in his patchy form last season.

‘‘Dale Thomas is clearly ahead of what he was last year because of his foot problem [in 2013]. We see two players who can have a real impact in the middle,’’ Malthouse said.

The veteran coach said he was not concerned with Lachie Henderson’s limited game time through the pre-season.

The swingman has recovered from leg surgery but had only the one hit-out, a VFL practice match for the Northern Blues.

The Power have will debut teenagers Jarman Impey and Tom Clurey, while former Brisbane Lion Jared Polec and ex-Tiger Matt White will start afresh.

Added Malthouse: ‘‘All I can say about us is we’re hungry for us to get out there and play our best footy.’’