North Melbourne fans have been waiting for talented-but-raw tall forward Mason Wood to emerge for a while.
That wait continued when he wasn't picked for the AFL season-opener.
Wood, a second-round draft pick in 2012, is yet to play in a round one game in his 26-game career, either through selection or injury.
He was bullish about his chances of breaking that drought when he spoke to reporters just before Christmas, having completed a strong block of training.
He suffered a setback when he sustained a small fracture in a thumb in February, but returned to play in the pre-season series before being overlooked for last week's clash against Gold Coast.
The torrential rain in Cairns didn't lend itself to a tall side, but Wood's non-selection wasn't just about team structure.
"Mason has got a few things that we really want him to work on," coach Brad Scott said.
"While he's a player that we have really high regard for, he's played 26 AFL games. So we really need to get him out playing and we're just conscious that Cairns in the wet with three talls wasn't the structure to go with.
"This week, we'll just weigh it up again. He's certainly right in the mix. We know he's a player who's got a really bright future for us, but when we bring him in we want to make sure that he stays in regardless of conditions."
Wood hasn't yet managed to play more than 10 games in a season, with his 2017 campaign cruelled by hamstring, calf and knee injuries.
The 24-year-old is tied to the club until the end of the 2020 season having signed a four-year deal in 2016.
The Roos will look to bounce back from a 16-point loss to the Suns when they host St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Good Friday.
"It's a massive occasion for our club ... we fought for decades to play this game," Scott said.
"It's huge and we want North Melbourne people to really get behind this game and make it a permanent fixture for us."
Part proceeds from game revenues go to the hospital's Good Friday Appeal.
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