Marley Williams wasn't a high-profile trade target and certainly didn't cost North Melbourne much but he's become a vital cog in Brad Scott's defensive unit.
The former rookie Collingwood back man will play his 100th AFL game when the Kangaroos take on Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday.
It will be his 32nd match in two seasons for North since crossing from the Pies who received pick No.105 in return and Scott is delighted to have him.
"He's got that thankless task of playing on the opposition's best small forward every week," Scott said.
"When you look across every team in the competition they've all got a pretty dangerous small forward.
"We've struggled to cover that (position) in the past, hence why we targeted Marley, and he's just come in and done a fantastic job.
"He's a no-fuss player, a really popular member of our group and he's a pleasure to coach because you set him a task and he rises to the occasion every time."
The Kangaroos enter the final straight in their dash for an unlikely finals berth when they take on the Lions.
Widely dismissed as a finals contender before the season, they are one game out of the eight in 10th heading into round 20 but don't play a team headed for the finals in their remaining four matches.
Their finals push could be set for a huge boost with star veteran Jarrad Waite poised to return.
The 35-year-old was a late withdrawal with a calf injury in round 11 and has been painstakingly nursed back to full health.
"He's probably been ready for a little while ... (but) we said right from the outset that we would be very conservative with his rehabilitation," Scott said.
"He's trained well and we've just got to decide when we're comfortable pulling the trigger."
Fellow veteran Shaun Higgins suffered a setback when he underwent minor knee surgery on Tuesday.
But he completed a bike session at the club on Wednesday and should only miss Saturday's clash.
Ben Jacobs is also not far off a return after finally shrugging off persistent concussion symptoms that have kept him to just one senior appearance since round 12.
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