Carlton coach Brett Ratten can certainly understand what Richmond caretaker coach Jade Rawlings is going through at the moment.

As Rawlings prepares for his fourth game in charge since the axing of Terry Wallace, when the Tigers take on the Blues at the MCG on Saturday, Ratten can see similarities to the way Rawlings is approaching the task now compared to his own stint as the Blues' caretaker coach in 2007.

Ratten got his opportunity for the last six games of that season after Denis Pagan was sacked and while he did not win a game - unlike Rawlings who tasted success in his very first match in charge against West Coast before losing the past two to St Kilda and Adelaide - he was still appointed full-time for the 2008 season.

When Ratten took over near the end of his 2007 season he immediately embarked on a youth policy, much as Rawlings has done so far as veteran players such as Joel Bowden, Troy Simmonds, Nathan Brown, Mark Coughlan and Kayne Pettifer have found themselves sidelined in favour of youngsters.

And now some two years later and with the Blues a chance to reach the finals for the first time since 2001, Ratten says decisions taken during those early days as caretaker coach are beginning to pay off and believes the same will eventually happen for the Tigers regardless of whether or not Rawlings remains in charge next season.

"I think if you look at the last three weeks when Jade has been coaching the team they have been playing a lot more youth," Ratten said of the Tigers.

"I did that as well at first and we got a lot more kids in and now we are seeing the benefits because for example (promising ruckman Shaun) Hampson got his first game then and he is starting to play good football now."

The Tigers have also blooded some tall youngsters in recent weeks including Tyrone Vickery and Jayden Post and despite the Blues going into Saturday's game as heavy favourites, Ratten is wary of the revitalised Richmond line-up.

It was of course the Blues that began the Tigers and Wallace on their path to destruction this season - in a year in which so much was expected of Richmond following the recruitment of Ben Cousins - with Wallace's tenure never recovering from the 83-point hiding the Blues dished out to Richmond in this year's season opener.

But while the Tigers now sit 14th on the ladder with just three wins while the Blues are in seventh spot and aiming to end their longest finals drought in history, Ratten expects Saturday's re-match to be far closer.

"Richmond is a huge game for us - we need the four points to keep pushing forward and they are going to be very hard to beat."

"They were very competitive in the Adelaide game (losing by just 17 points) and they beat West Coast so they have had some good pretty good performances (since Rawlings took over)."

"I think a lot of spots in the eight are up for the taking but we just want to get one because we haven't played finals for a long time."

"But we just have to get our process right from week to week because we are up and down as a group through games so our challenge is to get more consistency from our own performances."