At least 12 Carlton players will front up for the Northern Blues in their first VFL practice match of 2016 against Box Hill at Ikon Park on Saturday. 

Taking on the VFL high-fliers at Ikon Park at 10am on Saturday, Northern’s squad of 23 will feature a majority of AFL-listed Blues, four of whom will be pulling on the jumper for the first time.

Late-first round draft pick David Cuningham will make his first appearance for Northern, as will Carlton-listed rookies Andrew Gallucci, Jesse Glass-McCasker and Matthew Korcheck. 

It will be Glass-McCasker and Korcheck’s first hitout for 2016, as is the case for Billy Gowers, Cameron Wood, Dillon Viojo-Rainbow, Jayden Foster and Kristian Jaksch.

Carlton-listed players Clem Smith, Liam Jones and Matthew Dick have also been named in the selected side.

At Northern Blues level, Cameron Barrett, Kye Declase and Tyler Roos have all been named to play in the senior side, as has Jack Cripps - the cousin of Carlton young gun, Patrick.

Veterans Brent Bransgrove and Kieran McGuinness haven’t been named as they continue their respective returns from injury: Tom Wilson and Glenn Strachan will provide the VFL experience in a largely youthful squad. 

Former Carlton rookie Fraser Russell and his brother Sam will also miss, although fellow recruits Hisham Kerbatieh and Ben Casley could make their first appearance in Northern colours. 

The Blues will be looking to make a statement against one of the premier sides in the VFL, with Box Hill making the past three grand finals.

The Hawks have had their measure over the Blues, winning the past three clashes by an average of 82 points: the two sides also met in pre-season last year, with Box Hill being the only side to beat Northern.

The senior game will take place at 10am at Ikon Park, with free entry for the match. The Development game will follow at 1pm.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kristian Jaksch: The former Giant will front up for the Blues in what will be his first appearance of pre-season tomorrow morning. Jaksch played 11 games for Northern in his maiden year at Carlton in 2015, showing his ability as a swingman particularly late in the season. With Northern recruit Ben Casley potentially lining up in the forward line as well as Carlton youngster Jayden Foster, Jaksch could find himself in a key position defensive post against a potent Hawks attack.

Clem Smith: After impressing in spurts in Carlton’s NAB Challenge campaign, Smith has been named in the Northern line-up to face the Hawks. After 12 appearances for Northern in 2015, Smith will be looking to build on a debut year which also saw him manage seven senior games. Smith’s best game for the Blues in 2015 came against the opposition he’ll be facing on Saturday, kicking three goals at Preston City Oval the last time the Blues played the Hawks. 

Andrew Gallucci: The dynamic forward has been named for Northern to play against Box Hill - the team his former side Williamstown defeated in last year’s grand final. In what will be his first match for Northern, Gallucci will be hoping to replicate his last game against VFL opposition, where he kicked three goals against the Hawks on his way to becoming a VFL premiership player. 

Northern Blues' team to take on Box Hill:

Teams are subject to change, and will be finalised on Saturday morning.