Carlton young gun Patrick Cripps has won his battle with injury and will play against Richmond in the AFL season opener.
The 21-year-old looked a long shot to take the field on Thursday night at the MCG after being diagnosed in late November with a stress reaction in his lower back.
The injury required a 12-week rehabilitation, which severely hampered the bullocking midfielder's preparation.
But Cripps was able to feature in the past two games of the pre-season series to convince medical staff of his fitness.
"I can confirm that Patrick Cripps has got through and is ready to play for us (against Richmond)," coach Brendon Bolton told Fox Sports News on Monday.
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"We're rapt with the work that he's done and the conditioning staff to have him up and ready to play.
"He's terrific for us in and around stoppages, we know he wins the contested footy and he'll be important for us on Thursday night."
Bolton said Cripps could be joined by up to five players aged under 20 against the Tigers as he continues his much-debated rebuild.
The coach has prepared Carlton fans for a difficult premiership campaign at every opportunity during the club's winless pre-season series.
The Blues were mauled by Melbourne and St Kilda before showing some spark against Fremantle, but Bolton was undeterred by the poor showing.
"I've said for the last few years and I'll continue that ... right now, we're in a reset (and) we don't want to be defined by just wins and losses," he said.
"But in saying that, as a club, we won't absolve ourselves from trying to win games.
"That's really important but we also want to be able to build depth and give our youngsters an opportunity so we can grow into the future.
"We're genuine about being on a journey and our second year is sticking to that road map and not deviating."
The Blues are in good shape on the injury front, heading into Bolton's second season at the helm, with ruckman Andrew Phillips (foot) the only regular senior player unavailable.
