Ratten was also the caretaker senior coach at North Melbourne during Alastair Clarkson's leave of absence.

[1][2] Originally from Yarra Glen, Ratten made his debut for Carlton Football Club in the fifteenth round of the 1990 season.

[6][7][8] Ratten won the Robert Reynolds Trophy (Carlton best and fairest) on three occasions: 1995, 1997, and in a tie with Scott Camporeale in 2000.

[9] In 2009, statistical analysis company Champion Data announced that Ratten averaged 126.1 ranking points per game during the 2000–2009 decade, the highest of any player in the league.

His shoulder was also badly damaged in 2003, which ultimately led to Ratten announcing his retirement from his playing career in the middle of the 2003 season.

[13][14] After Craig Bradley chose to step-down as captain at the end of 2001, Ratten was awarded the club's captaincy in 2002, a position he held until his own retirement.

[25] On 20 August 2007, Ratten was re-appointed as full-time Carlton Football Club senior coach, when he signed a contract until the end of 2009.

[26][27] In the 2008 AFL season, Carlton under Ratten finished in 11th place on the ladder with 10 wins and 12 losses, missing out on the finals.

[29] Late in the 2010 season, Ratten came under scrutiny as senior coach when Carlton had several big losses, but the club nevertheless reached the finals again, finishing eighth.

[31] After the second-last round of the season in Round 22, 2012 after Carlton suffered an upset loss against Gold Coast Suns and was mathematically eliminated from finals contention, Ratten was sacked as senior coach of Carlton after his contract was terminated at the end of 2012, one year early.

[38] He was the third person to both play and coach over 100 senior games for the Carlton Football Club, after Ken Hands and Norm Clark.

[50][51][52][53] In September 2019, after the end of the 2019 season, Ratten was re-appointed as full-time St Kilda Football Club senior coach.

In the 2021 season, the Saints under Ratten fell back with on-field performance and finished 10th on the ladder with 10 wins and 12 losses and therefore missing out on the finals.