Blues coach Leon MacDonald is leaving no stone unturned in a bid to go one better and win the Super Rugby Pacific title.
The Auckland-based side finished atop the table, but were defeated by the champion Crusaders in an Eden Park final last season, but MacDonald has sought out the advice of one of rugby league's greatest minds - two time NRL premiership-winning coach Ivan Cleary.
Like MacDonald, Cleary is familiar with heartbreak, with his Penrith Panthers tasting defeat in the 2020 NRL Grand Final at the hands of Melbourne Storm.
Since then, they've won back-to-back titles, with pundits and fans alike hailing them as one of the best teams ever.
MacDonald visited the Penrith club during the Super Rugby off-season and was more than willing to pick the brain of the mastermind behind the Panthers dynasty.
"It was fantastic, really enjoyed that," he said. "Watching Ivan's coaching… I was a fan of his and was disappointed when the Warriors let him go.
"He understands Auckland and the challenges he had with the Warriors, he's been over with the Panthers and he experienced a tough loss in the finals back in 2020.
"He's been able to put some premierships in a row now and going into his environment, I was just watching the way he relates with players, the structures he had in place, but probably more importantly, the relationships he held with his staff and his players, which is world class.
"For me, with COVID, I haven't been able to get away and do a lot of that sort of thing, and it's important. I'm trying to grow myself and be a better coach for my players.
"Every opportunity, I think it's important that you're having conversations with people. There's so much information and I think one of the benefits of being based in Auckland is there are good people who have a lot of experience.
"We're always looking to come back with new ideas and different trains of thought, I suppose, and try to be better, and the stuck complacencies are our enemy, we don't want to be standing still.
"We have to find ways of moving forward and go hunting for opportunities."
MacDonald will coach the All Blacks XV in a two-match end-of-year European tour, with Clayton McMillan and Scott Hansen as his assistants.
The All Blacks XV will play Ireland A at Dublin on November 4 and against a Scott Robertson-coached Barbarians at London on November 13.
