Carlton's star midfield trio are finally back together and coach Brendon Bolton hopes it will spark his side to an upset over Richmond in Thursday night's AFL season-opener.
Blues skipper Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs and Patrick Cripps are all guaranteed starters for the MCG clash and what will be their first game together since last May.
Murphy suffered an ankle injury and did not play after round 10 last season, while Gibbs missed much of 2015 with a torn pectoral muscle.
In the 44 games young gun Cripps has played since his debut in early 2014, the trio have managed just 19 appearances together.
Bolton says the reunion will go a way towards countering a Tigers midfield bolstered by new additions Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy and ruckman Toby Nankervis.
"They've now added Caddy and Prestia, so they've got more midfield depth but we've got some guys that hold their own in there," Bolton said on Wednesday.
"Cripps, Murphy, Gibbs ... they haven't been together for a while because of Murphy's injury so it's going to be a good battle in there."
Bolton said he was excited to see Murphy enjoy his first uninterrupted pre-season in years and believes the 29-year-old still has scope for improvement.
"He'll lead by example and when he's got the ball in his hands, we know he uses it well," he said.
"With a full pre-season with no interruptions - touch wood - and no more injuries, I think we'll see the best of Marc Murphy this year."
The Blues will field up to six players aged 20 or under on Thursday, with the Blues' top draft pick Sam Petrevski-Seton debuting alongside traded GWS Giants runner Jarrod Pickett.
There is plenty of excitement at Princes Park about Petrevski-Steon, a silky midfielder from Western Australia's far north, who had an interrupted pre-season with a strained quad.
The 19-year-old took part in a light training session on Wednesday, with Bolton seeing enough for him to get the nod.
"He's had some good match practice, (although) he hasn't played in the (pre-season)," Bolton said.
"He's fit and ready."
New Blues Caleb Marchbank (GWS) and Billie Smedts (Geelong) will also play their first senior game for the club after off-season switches to Princes Park.
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