Key forward Charlie Comben will make his North Melbourne debut against the Sydney Swans on Saturday night.
Comben, selected with Pick 31 in the 2019 AFL Draft, was swamped by teammates at training on Thursday morning when the team was informed he'd be playing this weekend.
A stress fracture in his back kept Comben from taking the field in 2020, while a tibia stress fracture prevented the 20-year-old from making an impact until this point.
"Charlie's done an unbelievable job to get back into contention from where he started at the beginning of the year," Kangaroos senior coach David Noble said.
"He's like a lot of those young guys, he's very impatient, but he's shown some good signs. His competitiveness is really good, he's got the capacity to play forward and a little bit of ruck."
Comben has conquered his fair share of off-field hardships, too.
"He's overcome some personal adversities as well -- he lost his mum in the last 12 months.
"It's been an unbelievable journey and a real shining light for a young man to aspire to continue to believe and aspire to his dream."
Noble also praised the Sale product's mentality in being able to reach this milestone.
"He's probably in the top three or four [players] I've dealt with as far as being driven," the North coach said.
"The amount of drive he's got, and determination to get himself to this point has been staggering.
"His positivity around his belief, body and ability has allowed him to be settled in his body, and take a bit more time to heal this year."
Comben, who has shown glimpses of competitiveness and quality overhead marking over the course of his time at Arden Street, will be hoping to add a contested-marking presence to assist spearhead Nick Larkey against the Swans.