As the 2015 AFL season draws to an end, Carlton’s Sam Rowe says the Blues “can’t afford to waste the next five weeks”.

After a disappointing month of football, Carlton will be looking to bounce back and pounce on the out-of-form Magpies, who have lost their last six games in a row.

There will be more than just four points at stake on Saturday as the traditional rivals compete for the Peter Mac Cup, in what’s also the showcase game for the AFL’s Multicultural Round.

Speaking on 3AW’s Sports Today, Rowe admitted it’s been a tough year for Carlton but the players must continue to push themselves to improve until the conclusion of Round 23.

“It’s been a disappointing year but we’ve got five matches to go and we’re looking forward to build something over the next few weeks,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys playing so it’s a really good opportunity to set up the club going forward.”

Carlton’s horrible run with injuries has given six young Blues their opportunity to break into the senior side this year, with Clem Smith, Brad Walsh, Tom Fields, Blaine Boekhorst, Ciaran Byrne and Matthew Dick all making their debut.

Rowe acknowledged there’s still a “fair bit of work to do”, but encouraging and nurturing Carlton’s young talent will be a key focus until the end of the season.

“We’ve made it pretty clear to each other and to the whole club that we can’t afford to waste the nest five weeks – we have to get something out of it and that’s exactly what we’ll be looking to do.

“I’m confident we’re going to have some good performances in the last part of the year.”

The match between Carlton and Collingwood kicks off at the MCG at 1.45pm, with the AFL’s first-ever ‘Many Cultures, One Game’ festival in Yarra Park starting at 11.30am.