North Melbourne defender Sam Durdin will finally make his AFL debut this weekend against the Giants, as Durdin becomes the 1000th Kangaroo to play for the club.
Durdin was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft, but battled shoulder and foot injuries all throughout his first season.
He spent most of 2016 in the VFL and impressed during the JLT Community Series, doing enough to earn the early season call-up.
"From day one of the off-season last year, he's been determined to break through into our senior team," North coach Brad Scott said of Durdin.
"He's had a magnificent pre-season, played some good pre-season footy, and it's a great honour to be the 1000th Shinboner to represent our club.
"We're really excited for Sam and you guys are hearing about this before he's heard about it, so he'll be excited."
North will be buoyed by the return of number one ruckman Todd Goldstein as they prepare to face GWS on Saturday, although Scott is unsure whether Braydon Preuss will play alongside him.
Preuss was brilliant for the Roos last weekend in Goldstein's absence, with Scott set to make a call on his ruck combination closer to game day.
