Experienced Carlton defender Jarrad Waite is adamant that not only is he not the 'new Fev' but that the Blues forward line can be more potent without their leading goalkicker from the past seven years.

Brendan Fevola, the Blues' dominant forward for the past decade, was traded to Brisbane at the end of last season after a series of off-field indiscretions saw Carlton lose patience with him.

But while losing your best forward just when your team is starting to emerge as a premiership contender again following 10 years down the bottom of the ladder may appear like a step back, Waite and his team-mates are viewing it as an opportunity to create a multi-pronged attack.

Waite said that the Blues didn't want a Fevola replacement but instead wanted a forward line that could offer more than one option for kicking goals.

"We don't have one (a new Fevola), which is really exciting because I suppose for the last 10 years that Brendan has been there, we've had one forward. All clubs used to know to drop off for Fev, and now we have a very potent forward line," he said.

"(Brad) Fisher, (Matthew) Kreuzer, (Simon) Wiggins. It's pretty much, we don't really want someone who is going to kick 80 goals, we want about four or five that are going to kick 30 or 35 goals and make it hard for oppositions to defend us."

Waite, who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury, could also find himself moving forward a lot more in Fevola's absence and said he is ready for whatever challenge coach Brett Ratten throws at him.

"I'm just going to do what I did last year. Just float forward and back. I might spend a bit more time down forward, but I've always played that role and it will hopefully continue this year," he said.

"It's good for me, because if I'm having a bad day, I can get swapped down the other end and can rectify it. I enjoy playing down back, but I do know that this year I will be pushed forward more."

Fevola's departure didn't signal the end of Carlton's off-field woes with three players, Ryan Houlihan, Andrew Walker and Eddie Betts, suspended by the club after incidents following a Christmas party with the playing group.

But Waite said that the swift and tough actions of the club have sent a strong message to everyone on the Blues list, while the three offenders have responded positively to their punishment.

"Our boys aren't playing in the NAB Cup for their indiscretions. We know the rules now and if any of our boys play up, it's pretty much you're out the door. It's a good thing to have and it's definitely not going to happen again," he said.

"I think Eddie is the skinniest he's ever been and the leanest, Walks has got about two percent body fat and looks a bit scary. We're really happy with the way they've returned and they've trained the house down. Hopefully that can continue for the rest of the year and we really expect good seasons from each of them."

As for Waite, he is eying a return to the field towards the end of the pre-season and is hopeful of playing in Round 1 against Richmond.

"I've been given the all clear to resume full training. I'll do that for two or three weeks and then hopefully sneak in toward the end of the NAB Challenge to have a few games then hopefully should be right for round one or two," he said.

Waite confirmed that Marc Murphy would be fit to return for Round One as well.