The Northern Blues’ final test in a difficult season comes on Saturday afternoon, when they make the trip to Simonds Stadium to face Geelong in the Round 20 VFL clash.

In what is the final game of what has been a frustrating and unfruitful campaign, the Blues will be looking to end their season on a high after the most difficult of two months.

An undermanned Blues lineup will be otherwise boosted by the returns of Carlton-listed pairing of Dennis Armfield and Nick Holman against the 12th-placed Cats.

However, with Chris Yarran and one of last week’s best in Brad Walsh come out of the side to AFL selection, the majority of the burden will be tasked to a young Northern contingent.

Tom Fields, Clem Smith, Liam Jones, Dillon Viojo-Rainbow, Blaine Johnson and Fraser Russell round out the eight AFL-listed players in the side, after a season-low of seven last weekend.

On the other end of the spectrum, Geelong welcome back some handy experience for what will also be their last game, with finals not on the agenda for the second straight season.

Although they have lost Daniel Menzel to an AFL call-up, Mathew Stokes, Billie Smedts and George Horlin-Smith all come into the side which lost to Sandringham by 28 points last weekend.

An in-form Shane Kersten looms as the danger man for the Cats, fresh off the back of a five-goal haul against the Zebras despite the result not going Geelong’s way.

Fields looms as the likely match-up for Kersten down back for the Blues, having often been given the role on the opposition’s best forward in his time at VFL level.

Horlin-Smith has been one of the Cats’ prime movers when he has been in the VFL side this season, being named in the bests by his coaches on seven occasions from just nine games.

Having taken on a tagging role in VFL competition earlier in the season, the returning Holman could yet get the head-to-head battle in the clinches opposed to Horlin-Smith.

The Blues will be looking for a better result compared to the last time the two teams met, which saw the Cats restrict Northern to just three goals and triumph by 71 points at Preston City Oval.

A host of VFL-listed names round out the inclusions to a 27-man squad due to be cut down, with the debut of Ben Toman one of the feel-good stories of the year.

Battling fitness and illness issues in his time at the club, Toman has been named to play his first game for the Blues after three years on the list.

Toman - who Northern Blues General Manager Garry O’Sullivan described as “a fantastic clubman” - takes on the 23rd man role for this week, replacing Chris McCabe.

Paul Dirago, Matthew Haynes, Eamon Jenkins and Dean Soncin round out the inclusions, with Sean Bolger out through a knee injury sustained against Box Hill last week.

With Cameron Wood also granted an AFL call-up, the team news means Alex Aurrichio will have to take on the ruck burden against established Cats ruck man Dawson Simpson.

Liam Jones could potentially look to give Aurrichio a chop-out in the ruck, in an attempt to give a young Northern midfield conglomerate first use of the footy against a more experienced Cats group.

The game will commence from Simonds Stadium on Saturday at 1pm.

Players to watch

Tom Wilson: The stand-in skipper will have to put in a big performance rotating through the forward line and midfield if his side is to stand a chance of coming away with a final round upset. Similar to his best-and-fairest winning season in 2014, Wilson has been a picture of consistency this campaign and has been a stalwart of an otherwise fluctuating Northern line-up.

Clem Smith: Smith put in his best performance of the season last weekend when he kicked his first three Northern Blues goals in the heavy loss to Box Hill. Smith made the most of limited opportunity in a more permanent forward role than he’s otherwise taken on this season, and will have to put in a similar performance against the Cats tomorrow afternoon.

Dennis Armfield: One of the key inclusions for the Northern Blues this weekend, Armfield returns to action after missing the last six weeks with a broken arm suffered in the AFL Round 15 loss to Richmond. The speedy utility will offer some much needed experience to a young Northern team, against a Cats side littered with VFL experience and AFL-listed youth.