Carlton fans will get to see Brendan Fevola in a Brisbane Lions jumper earlier than expected after he was named in his new club's squad for Friday's NAB Challenge match while Barry Hall is set to make his debut for the Western Bulldogs against Hawthorn the same night.
Traded by the Blues last October, Fevola's first outing against his former team had been expected to be the Round 2 clash at the Gabba but his side's first-round NAB Cup loss to the Bulldogs, coupled with the Blues' defeat against the Swans, means he'll come face-to-face with his former team-mates at Visy Park on Friday.
Kept in cotton wool when the Lions played against the Dogs in the nation's capital a fortnight ago, skipper Jonathan Brown is set for his first game of 2010 after being named in a squad that also includes Daniel Rich, Josh Drummond and former Saints defender Matt Maguire.
Carlton has included Andrew Walker, Ryan Houlihan and Eddie Betts after the trio completed club-imposed suspensions for playing up after the players' infamous end-of-season boat cruise on the Yarra, while Lachie Henderson, who was part of the Fevola trade, will also face his former team.
Former Sydney forward Hall, who hasn't played an official game since being suspended for two matches last year for striking Adelaide defender Ben Rutten, is in line to play for the Western Bulldogs in their NAB Cup quarter-final on Friday night at Etihad Stadium against Hawthorn.
Also picked for their first games of 2010 are veterans Jason Akermanis and Nathan Eagleton as well as defender Ryan Hargrave, but highly-rated backman Tom Williams has been rested.
The Hawks will also hand a club debut to Josh Gibson, the former Roo coming in after missing the club's first-round win over Richmond with a hamstring strain, while star forward Lance Franklin is expected to play despite copping a corked buttock in that runaway victory in Tasmania.
And Collingwood has included Josh Fraser and Shane O'Bree in the squad it will take to Alice Springs, with Paul Medhurst, Travis Cloke and Luke Ball to sit out, while its opponent Adelaide has picked Nathan Bock and Scott Thompson but couldn't consider Chris Knights and Brett Burton.