A massive SuperClash crowd awaits North Melbourne and Carlton on Good Friday, with the home team returning to its home deck for the first time since Round 1.

The Roos will enter with a 2-1 record after suffering their first defeat of 2023 last weekend, and will need to be at their best in order to overcome an undefeated Blues outfit and claim a third victory.

Despite Carlton's strengths, it's a task Alastair Clarkson's side has the capability of doing as it continues to mould into its newly adopted gameplan.

Bouncing back

On Friday, North Melbourne will have its first opportunity to respond to a defeat this season, after going down in disappointing fashion to Hawthorn in Launceston.

There may have been a touch of fatigue though after claiming a dramatic victory out west in Round 2, but the 19-point loss to the Hawks could perhaps be put down as a growing pain with the team being just three weeks into its new beginning.

"We've just got a process that we need to concentrate on in terms of getting better as a footy club," Clarkson said post-game last Saturday.

"We've got a long way to go and part of that is just giving all our players the exposure to just play our gameplan the way we want to play it, and whether we win or lose, just getting better at that over time.

"That's not going to happen overnight but it will happen if we stay the course and and continue to have faith that we're on the right track."

Midfield addition(s)

Set for a battle with a talented Carlton midfield, North Melbourne will greatly welcome the returns of  Jy Simpkin and, potentially, Luke Davies Uniacke to the line-up.

After being soundly defeated at the source in Tasmania, the pairing's inclusion could be a pivotal factor to how Friday's game plays out given the talent and leadership the duo possesses.

Both kicked crucial goals in the Round 2 win over Fremantle and each had over 600 metres gained surging out of centre, further proving just how crucial they are on gameday.

While Simpkin is a selection lock after serving his one-match suspension, it was a calf tightness issue that saw Davies-Uniacke withdrawn late right before the Round 3 bounce.

He's tracking positively though, and given he pulls up well from Thursday's training session, he'll join his co-captain in the side.

Combating Carlton's forwards

Just as it did in 2022, North Melbourne will square off with an imposing Carlton forward line without its two primary key defenders.

The versatile Griffin Logue was officially ruled out on Tuesday night after his appeal to overturn a one-match ban failed, leaving him to join Ben McKay on the sidelines who continues to recover from bone stress in his foot.

After a strong start to the year, Aidan Corr will be tasked with covering either Harry McKay or Charlie Curnow, while Logue's impending replacement will be trusted to take the other Blues spearhead.

Clarkson and the match committee are likely to choose either Kallan Dawson or Aiden Bonar to accompany Corr in defensive 50, after both put in promising shifts during last weekend's VFL win that saw the Roos hold Southport to just 58 points.

Last time we met

The Roos suffered a 50-point defeat when they last faced the Blues, despite a strong first half that saw them trail by eight points heading into the main change.

Leading the way in midfield was Simpkin with 22 disposals, while fellow Bailey Scott gathered 23 touches and six marks.

Down forward, Nick Larkey and Cam Zurhaar combined for five majors, and Todd Goldstein worked hard in the ruck, finishing with 36 hitouts and 18 disposals.