The Northern Blues will be looking to make it two wins in a row and bring an end to a six-year hoodoo on Saturday afternoon against Port Melbourne.

In their first home game of the season, the Blues will host a Borough outfit which they haven’t defeated since 2010.

Northern will meet Port for the second consecutive year on Anzac weekend, with both sides looking vastly different on the team-sheet compared to the last time the sides met.

Only nine Blues remain from the 2015 Anzac Day loss, with the likes of Andrejs Everitt and Jack Silvagni in line to make their Northern debuts on Saturday.

The two are part of five potential debutants in the Blues line-up, with the squad of 31 to be cut down by eight ahead of the opening bounce on Saturday afternoon.

After defeating Geelong last week for the first time in five years, senior coach Josh Fraser will be hoping his side continues with the trend of eradicating past demons.

Only Simon White potentially remains in the side from the team which last triumphed over the Borough by a solitary point six years ago.

White is one of the seven Carlton players on the extended AFL bench, along with Dylan Buckley, Nick Graham, Michael Jamison, Liam Jones, Matthew Kreuzer and Zach Tuohy.

Four of those men will be cut from the Northern side in conjunction with Carlton’s team announcement on Friday afternoon.

Alongside the potential inclusion of Kreuzer, Cameron Wood will make his return after missing last week, while Matthew Korcheck could play his third consecutive game to start the season.

Northern’s on-ball brigade has taken a hit, with co-vice captain Zach Ballard, Brent Bransgrove and Mark Whiley all missing through injury.

The Blues will face a Borough side with an equivalent record after two rounds, after Port held on to record a gritty 10-point win over Coburg last week.

Port Melbourne will be missing the likes of Sam Dwyer, Jordan Lisle, Nathan Batsanis and Matt Arnot, who will remain on the sidelines through respective injuries.

However, with the likes of Toby Pinwill, Chris Cain, Hugh Sandilands and recruit Mitch Golby, their side continues to boast the elite VFL talent which has made them a premier side of the competition under Gary Ayres.

The two sides met in pre-season at Preston with Port prevailing by 44 points, restricting the Blues to just nine goals in the process.

Northern will be heartened by their ability to kick a winning score last week, with the burden potentially falling on the returning Everitt and Kristian Jaksch should Jones’ form warrant AFL selection.

With Carlton playing interstate on Sunday, Northern’s game at Preston gives Blues fans the chance to see their young guns - with 22 currently listed in the squad - in action this weekend.


MATCH DETAILS

VFL Round 3
Northern Blues vs. Port Melbourne
Preston City Oval

2pm, Saturday April 23

Adults $10, Concession $5, Kids under 15 free

Northern Blues members - free


PLAYERS TO WATCH


Jack Silvagni - The father-son recruit will front up for his first official VFL match tomorrow afternoon, after a hamstring injury resulted in a delayed start to the season. Silvagni showed some positive signs in his only practice match for Northern, kicking three smart goals against Richmond in a big win. The third generation Silvagni could prove to play a big part in a Northern Blues forward line littered with Carlton talent.

Michael Jamison - Should the Carlton veteran front up at Preston City Oval on Saturday (pending finalised teams), Jamison could get the job on key forward Khan Haretuku who has had Northern’s measure in recent years (10 goals in three games). After missing both matches last week as an emergency for the Carlton team, Jamison could patrol a Northern defence which has conceded just shy of 100 points each game in the opening two rounds.

Hisham Kerbatieh - The livewire forward will play his third and final game as 23rd man this week, after a positive performance against the Cats where he kicked two goals. Kerbatieh showed his potential and brilliant goal nous with his second major last week, kicking a clutch goal from the boundary in a pivotal time. Kerbatieh could prove to be a dangerous forward outlet for the Blues, with Coburg small forward Ahmed Saad wreaking havoc against Port last week to finish with six goals.