The Northern Blues will be looking to do the 2016 double when it hosts Geelong at Preston City Oval on Saturday.
After the disappointment of last week where they were unable to overcome a slow start, the Blues welcome a strong Geelong side to Preston which beat Box Hill and Williamstown in its last two matches.
Northern broke its 2016 duck against the Cats in Round 2, which was also the first time it has beaten Geelong under the Northern Blues name.
Geelong has welcomed back some AFL quality, with Rhys Stanley, Cory Gregson and Shane Kersten joining Scott Selwood in his return from injury.
The Blues have a veteran returnee of their own, with Michael Jamison returning to the side after missing the last month through illness.
Given the inclusions of Stanley and Kersten alongside Nathan Vardy, Jamison’s return is a timely one for Northern and one which could go a long way in the Blues returning to the winners’ list.
After three consecutive wins before the bye, Northern has lost its last two games, with early lapses again proving costly: in all of their losses this season, the Blues have trailed by four or more goals at half-time.
The Northern Blues recorded a famous victory over Geelong at Simonds Stadium in Round 2. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
Josh Fraser’s side will be focused on having a fast start after the events of recent weeks, where the Blues have given themselves a mountain to climb against two of the form sides of the competition in Sandringham and Collingwood.
The midfield brigade of Mark Whiley and captain Tom Wilson will again support Cameron Wood, with Nick Graham and Jason Tutt adding further midfield depth.
The familiar forward combination of Kristian Jaksch and Liam Jones will again have to do the damage if the Blues to come away with the win, while potential debutant Charlie Curnow could provide them with support.
Northern will take heart from the second half last weekend, when it kicked 10 goals to four against the most resolute defence in the competition.
Wood will continue to inch closer to a VFL milestone with his 97th career game, while Jones needs just one more goal to notch up a career ton at VFL level.
Jamison will be supported by Jayden Foster and Matthew Dick down back against the Cats’ tall timber, but Mitch Clark won’t be at Preston for the Cats after featuring in the AFL last night.
It will be the second time this season that the Blues face a Geelong side coming off a week’s rest from VFL competition, with the Cats one of three sides to have the bye last week.
The Blues’ forwards will have their work cut out for them against the Cats, who have averaged just eight goals against them in the last three weeks, and conceded only three 100-plus point scores this season.
The match will be streamed on Saturday afternoon on the VFL website from 2pm, while the game will also be preceded by a VFL Women’s clash between Diamond Creek and Melbourne Uni from 11am.
It was announced earlier in the week that this game will take place from Preston City Oval after being moved from Ikon Park due to the state of the surface and the forecasted wet weather.
MATCH DETAILS
VFL Round 14
Northern Blues vs. Geelong VFL
Preston City Oval
Saturday, July 9 - 2 pm
Adults $10, Concession $5, Kids under 15 free
Northern Blues members - Free
Media coverage: Live stream on VFL.com.au from 2pm
Players to watch
Liam Jones: Jones put in Northern’s best individual performance of the season in Round 2 against Geelong, when he kicked five goals to get his side over the line. He and Kristian Jaksch have combined for a quarter of the Blues’ score this year, and if the Blues are to come away with their second straight win over the Cats, Jones will have to be at his best once more.
Tim Totevski: Named on the extended bench for the Blues, Totevski could prove to play a valuable role if he features against the Cats. Totevski has been at his pressuring best in past weeks, being included in the coaches’ best players in the last fortnight. Totevski has shown this season what the Blues sorely lacked late last year after he ruptured his ACL: however, the 22-year-old will be hoping to hit the scoreboard after three goalless weeks.
Blaine Boekhorst: Boekhorst made a successful return from a wrist injury last weekend and provided the Blues with some vital energy around the ball when Northern needed some spark. The speedster collected 16 disposals and kicked two goals in his return and will be looking to build form and fitness after a month out with injury. His speed on the wings could prove to be important alongside Jason Tutt with the likes of Wilson, Whiley and Wood in the middle.
