North Melbourne forward Nathan Thompson has declared himself fit to play in Saturday night's elimination final against the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium.
The 30-year-old showed he was over the effects of a lingering ankle injury by booting three goals for VFL side Werribee at the weekend to push his claims for a recall.
"I had a really good hit-out down at Werribee last week on a ground that was probably the hardest I've played on in a long time. But I got through it well and really felt I was able to contest well and I'll be putting my hand up for a spot this week," Thompson said before a training session at Arden Street on Tuesday.
Whether that was enough for coach Dean Laidley remains to be seen, who admitted on Monday that he would have some selection headaches when it comes to the Kangaroos' forward options.
Laidley said it was unlikely that David Hale, Drew Petrie, Hamish McIntosh and Aaron Edwards would all play in the same side, so squeezing Thompson into the mix seems a long shot.
If he remains on the outer, it would be a cruel blow for the former Hawk who missed all of last season - including the finals series - after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in the pre-season.
"I missed out last year on playing finals and playing a lot of footy. I'd love to get the opportunity to come back this week and try and contribute to the team," he said.
Thompson said Saturday's 76-point loss to Port Adelaide - which cost the Roos a top-four spot - had been quickly forgotten and the team was viewing the finals as a 'new season'.
"It wasn't great on the weekend, that was plain to see. But the guys are in good spirits. It's a new season now. We missed fourth spot; that's gone and we can't get that back," he said.
"It's a great opportunity to go up and play Sydney. Obviously they've got the home ground environment … but as a club we enjoy the challenge of that sort of thing so we'll be going up there and sticking together as a group and trying to come away with a big win."