NORTH Melbourne's promising end to the year could have another chapter added, with the club's highly rated key forward Charlie Comben completing a stunning return in a VFL scratch match over the weekend.
Comben, who is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Kangaroos, kicked four goals in a half during his comeback from a tibial stress fracture in his right leg during an unofficial hitout in Queensland on Saturday.
The agile 200cm teenager, recruited to the club with pick No.31 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft, completed an exciting chase-down tackle to get on the board early before adding a hat-trick of goals in the second quarter.
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He finished his limited minutes unscathed, joining defender Aiden Bonar (ankle) and speedy forward Phoenix Spicer (hamstring) in successfully getting through their respective returns from injury.
Comben's maiden season at North Melbourne was interrupted by a small fracture in the lower region of his back, before his hopes of an early return in 2021 were dashed by the leg fracture sustained in January.
However, club officials remain delighted with the progress Comben has made during his rehabilitation program and are confident the versatile key-position prospect will push for senior opportunities in the near future.
Comben featured in a team comprising of non-playing members from both North Melbourne and Essendon's squad, going up against Brisbane's reserves side after all VFL games were called off due to Victoria's recent COVID-19 outbreak.
The Kangaroos also remain hopeful that Taylor Garner (ankle) and Dom Tyson (calf) could put themselves in contention to return this weekend, though youngster Jack Mahony is likely to miss after leaving Sunday's loss to the Bombers with a shoulder injury.
