North Melbourne on-baller Mia King could prove a rare headache for her club after being cleared for selection in this weekend's AFLW grand final.
The Jawoyn mid and 2024 premiership player hasn't featured in this year's finals campaign nor final patch of the home-away-season having suffered a PCL injury in Round 9, but has ticked the boxes required for a recall.
King averaged 20 disposals (10 contested) in her start to the year, and has often plied her trade around the hard ball before distributing out to North's outside movers.
She played a handy role in last year's grand final win over Brisbane, also collecting 32 touches and sticking 10 tackles in the Roos' statement away from home win over this weekend's opponents in Round 5.
"She has ticked off all her rehab requirements and has exited the rehab group," North physio Billy Williams said.
King was a test to play, however missed out on the weekend's come from behind preliminary final win over Melbourne.
North Melbourne and Brisbane will play their third grand final in a row against one another, with the two sides splitting past honours one a piece.
The Roos' 2023 loss was the club's last, stringing together an all-time VFL/AFL and AFLW winning streak since, which places doubt around the selection of King.
Speaking after training on Tuesday, veteran Emma Kearney was full of praise for the 24-year-old, admitted "heartbreak" comes with every grand final week.
"Mia is available for selection. Coaches will select the side later tonight," Kearney said.
"I'm not privy to what sort of loads she's doing, but I can only speak for what I've seen on the track.
"She's been bringing a lot of energy, a lot of spark. She's also one of those players that you want in finals, you want in the big games, because she's such a contested beast.
"There's going to be a heartbreak...where someone misses out. Unfortunately that will have to be someone from our side. But what we've been able to show is the great depth that we've had in our squad."
Kearney added her side's biggest test in some time against the Dees on Saturday puts them in a good spot for this weekend.
"It probably just shows you that all the things that you try to implement throughout the year, like save the game, try to win the game, those sorts of scenarios that you put yourself into at training," she said.
"To put that into a prelim final, and it was quite effective for us, gives us great confidence that if we are tested again."
The Lions Indigenous stars Ally Anderson, Dakota Davidson and Courtney Hodder - who claimed her first All Australian blazer on Monday night - come into the grand final each in solid form.
