The Northern Blues will be overlooking to overturn a barren run when they face Collingwood in a historic VFL fixture on Saturday.

Acting as a curtain raiser to the Round 19 AFL match between Collingwood and Carlton, the game will be the first reserve grade VFL fixture to be televised.

While the Northern Blues have played on the MCG this year (defeating the AFL-AIS Under 18s in a pre-season practice match), it is also the first time the Blues will play a home and away fixture at the venue.

Some significant changes at the selection table has seen the VFL Blues gain a host of experience against the seventh-placed Magpies.

Troy Menzel, Jason Tutt and Chris Yarran will all front up at the MCG on Saturday morning, with Carlton coach John Barker swinging the axe after his side’s loss to North Melbourne last weekend.

Steve Murray, Dean Soncin and Northern Blues Development captain Jacob Gleeson have also been added to the squad, as has a very familiar Carlton name in Bailey Rice - son of premiership player, Dean.

The changes also see the Blues lose Andrew Walker and Mark Whiley to AFL selection after last week’s capitulation to North Ballarat, while Dan Watson (hamstring) and Sean Bolger (omitted) also won’t feature.

With the Blues struggling to muster any scoreboard pressure in recent weeks (averaging 5.3 goals a game in the last four games), the majority of the burden will again fall on the shoulders of Matthew Watson, Blaine Johnson and Liam Jones.

After they combined for 15 goals in the romp of Frankston in Round 11, the three-pronged attack has been bereft of service.

It will be left to the midfield group of Brad Walsh, Zach Ballard and Tutt to lead the charge, coming up against a Collingwood midfield littered with quality and AFL experience.

Having been dropped from the AFL team after the loss to Melbourne, Paul Seedsman and Sam Dwyer will lead the midfield charge, alongside the likes of Ben Kennedy and Clinton Young.

Kristian Jaksch and Tom Fields are also bound to have occupied, with Jesse White and Jarrod Witts providing the focal points after Ben Reid’s inclusion into the AFL side.

Given it is Multicultural Round this weekend, the game has an added sense of poignancy with American ruckmen Alex Aurrichio and Mason Cox potentially locking horns at the first bounce on the MCG.

The Pies have lost two of their last four games after enjoying an 8-1 run in the middle portion of the season, largely thanks to their ability to win with their backs to the wall (five wins by under two goals).

With the occasion providing the perfect backdrop for the double header to come that afternoon, the contest will be a war of attrition considering the two sides’ lack of fortunes in recent weeks.

Patrick Karnezis - one of the Collingwood VFL side’s big achievers in 2015 - and Jesse White headline 15 AFL-listed players in the side, compared to the 12 Carlton players spearheaded by Yarran and Menzel.

The contest will give fans of both sides the rare luxury of seeing their whole available AFL list in action, while also potentially giving Carlton fans a glimpse of the future with prospective father-son pick Rice fronting up.

With the last two games between the two sides going right down to the final minutes, the Blues will be hoping for a renewed sense of intent and effort which was lamented in last week’s aftermath.

The game will commence from the MCG at 10:16am (gates opening at 9:50am), with fans to receive admission to both VFL and AFL games for the price of one ticket.

As mentioned, it will also be broadcast on Channel 7 on delay, with coverage starting from midday Saturday.

PLAYER WATCH

Troy Menzel: Struggling with both injury and form in season 2015, the 20-year-old returns to the VFL with a big point to prove. After finishing third in Carlton’s goal-kicking last season in his second year, Menzel has battled in 2015 and has been dropped by coach John Barker. Menzel will need to strike a partnership with Blaine Johnson if the Blues are to kick a winning score against a miserly Collingwood defensive outfit.

Brad Walsh: After being the Blues’ best player in his return to the VFL last weekend, Walsh will have to put in a big showing if Northern are to come away with an upset victory. Often playing a lone hand in the middle against the Roosters, Walsh has shown a proclivity to rack up the disposals at VFL level even when the chips are down. With his midfield partner Mark Whiley called up to the AFL team, Walsh will be heavily relied upon to get the ball going the Blues’ way.

Kristian Jaksch: Having been swung forward sporadically in recent weeks, Jaksch looks likely to line up down back given the tall forward options the Pies have to offer. Jesse White is fronting up in the VFL team for the second straight week while the Pies have shown they’re willing to spread the offensive workload, so Jaksch and Tom Fields will have to put in a big defensive shift against a versatile Pies forward setup.