Teka is back for his second stint with the Blues this year, after guiding them to the Group Nine premiership in 2008, and a week out from round one is far from happy with the team’s preparations.

“I’m not going to sugar coat it – we are really struggling,” Teka said.

“Number wise we’ve missed out a fair few signings that we put a lot of our attention to at the start of the year.

“We’ve got one bloke over the line, which is promising for the club, but on a whole we haven’t had too many at training, haven’t had any trial games and we are off to a bad start to be honest.”

On a brighter note, the Blues have been able to bring New Zealand front rower Gordon Karaitiana to town.

Karaitiana played representative football at home and Teka expects he will do a big job for the club.

The 26-year-old is looking to lead from the front as the club looks to rebuild.

“I’ve been told a few things from the guys at home – that it is quite tough and it is quite fast – so I’ve got a fair idea of what to expect,” Karaitiana said. “It is going to be tough.

“I wanted the opportunity to play higher level footy.”

Karaitiana is also looking to set a good example for the younger members of Blues.

The front rower will join the returning Adam Pearce and Ben Roddy at the club while they have also picked up former rugby union player James Curgenven from Wagga City.

The Blues start the season against rivals Tumbarumba at Tumbarumba Showground on April 2.