North Melbourne Kangaroos champion Ben Cunnington will make his long-awaited return to the AFL line-up when he faces Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.

Cunnington last played in the senior team in Round 19, 2021 before beginning his battle with testicular cancer.

The two-time Syd Barker Medal winner underwent surgery to remove a tumour in July last year and then completed a nine-week course of chemotherapy to treat a secondary diagnosis last November.

The 31-year-old was tracking well to return last month before tweaking his calf at training, and his comeback was again stalled after testing positive to COVID-19.

He made a successful return to footy via the VFL last Sunday where he finished with 18 disposals and three clearances before coming off at three-quarter time.

Interim AFL senior coach Leigh Adams revealed the news to his players during Wednesday's team meeting after training.