Carlton will be buoyed by the fact that Elijah Hollands and Harry McKay will feature in the club's VFL hitout on Saturday against Southport.
The pair have spent large amounts of time away from the club due to personal matters, but are making strides towards a senior recall.
Blues coach Michael Voss said during the week that he refused to get into "weekly dialogue" surrounding McKay before the club slumped to a 0-4 start on Thursday night against arch-rivals Collingwood.
Although seemingly needing their 2020 Coleman medallist, and forward-midfielder in Hollands, Voss has made it abundantly clear throughout the process that when they get picked, they'll be ready.
And featuring in the reserves side will give fans the belief that they are nearing that date.
In regards to Hollands, Voss also said on Wednesday that the 22-year-old has ticked all the boxes off, and will need to put together a "solid performance" before returning to the top flight.
Cartlon's VFL squad will also unveil three new faces against the Sharks, with Matthew Carroll, Lucas Camporeale and Harry O'Farrell debuting for the VFL outfit.
Jordan Boyd and Francis Evans, who were both dropped for Thursday's clash, will also feature.
Sidelined pair Corey Durdin and Hudson O'Keeffe will return from injury, as will Rob Monahan.
Carlton's reserves side will return from their bye having been defeated by the Box Hill Hawks in Round 1 by four points, with their clash against Southport scheduled for Saturday night at IKON Park.
