The Northern Blues will be looking to salvage their season as they host Werribee at Ikon Park on Saturday afternoon, welcoming back a pair of familiar Carlton faces in the process.

Having endured a unsuccessful run of close results, the Blues enter the Round 10 contest against the Tigers knowing that the time for sudden death football has come very early in the season.

Sitting 12th on the ladder with a record of 2-6, the Blues play host to Werribee, which have been a thorn in Northern’s side recently; the last win over the Tigers coming in Round 1, 2013.

Carlton vice-captain Michael Jamison (calf) will front up for the VFL side in his return from injury, as will Dillon Viojo-Rainbow – Carlton’s second-round draft pick missing since Round 6 with a lower leg injury.

Despite showing some impressive form to date, the Blues will be looking to overturn a four-game losing streak - an average losing margin of 14 points in that time is indicative of how easily 2015 could have been a much different story.

Ikon Park welcomes a Werribee side which - after bursting out of the gates to sit top of the table after six rounds - has found itself in a difficult patch of form.

A comfortable win over a struggling Richmond outfit a fortnight ago has been sandwiched by two considerable losses against Sandringham (40 points) and Collingwood (42) - the latter coming after conceding 10 goals to zero in a third quarter capitulation.

Typically, the match will revolve around the battle in midfield, with Werribee fielding a very strong midfield pool of VFL talent that has served it well in seasons gone by.

Partnering the likes of North Melbourne-listed players Kieran Harper and Luke McDonald are Jye Bolton, Matt Hanson and Isaac Conway, who are ever-present as Werribee’s top performers each week.

It will mean that the likes of Mark Whiley, Brad Walsh, David Ellard and Nick Holman - all who have had solid opening halves to the season - will have their work cut out for them in curtailing the Tigers’ midfield.

Jamison will also have his hands full in his return match, with the potential match-up of Majak Daw looming.

Alongside Billy Iles and Ben Speight, Daw has been the key outlet for the Tigers this season, with his 20 goals seeing him lead the Frosty Miller Medal race as the competition’s leading goal kicker.

Liam Jones and Matthew Watson will again provide the focal points for the Blues up forward, having received limited opportunities in the loss to Coburg last week.

The game will also see graduated Northern Knights midfielder Daman Aujla debut as the 23rd man.

The match will commence at 2:15pm.

Northern Blues player watch:

Blaine Boekhorst: Carlton’s first-round draft pick from last season will be looking to build on a couple of strong showings, being a bright spark particularly against Coburg last week. Boekhorst was central to the Blues’ fightback in the third term last week: another strong showing against the Tigers could have him in line for a senior recall.

Blaine Johnson: Johnson will be aiming to improve on his 100 per cent record this week of kicking at least one goal per game. Having featured four times in the coaches’ bests from the opening six games, Johnson will provide a key avenue to goal against a Werribee side which has found it difficult to prevent the opposition from scoring in recent weeks.

Michael Jamison: Unsighted at any level of football since Carlton’s solitary win back on ANZAC Day, Jamison returns to football at VFL level for the first time since Round 2, 2012. The Carlton vice-captain is expected to play on scheduled game time as he returns from a calf injury, but could be a crucial pillar of leadership and experience in the Northern Blues’ defensive unit against a Werribee side that has the ability to score quickly.

The Northern Blues' team to take on Werribee:

BOLD = Carlton-listed players
* = 23rd man