The North Melbourne Kangaroos will be bolstered by the presence of Ben Cunnington when they face Adelaide on Saturday.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the champion midfielder would return to face the Crows in his first game for 385 days.

Following his recovery from testicular cancer, Cunnington returned to play via the reserves last Sunday, and collected 18 disposals in limited game time.

Now, he will anchor an AFL rotation already home to reigning best and fairest winner Jy Simpkin, explosive onballer Luke Davies-Uniacke and the ageless Todd Goldstein.

Behind their impressive onball unit, the Kangaroos could also regain Ben McKay, who has been in full training.

The key defender was a late out for Sunday's game against Sydney, after soreness from a knock to the shoulder sustained a week earlier.

"He was tracking well for last week (too), I thought," interim senior coach Leigh Adams told reporters on Wednesday.

"We expect him to play. We've got main training today, and he'll (complete) all of it.

"If he gets through that, I assume he'll be right to go."

Adams will have a strong pool of players to put around McKay, if he opts to tinker with his team.

Jackson Archer is in the frame to return from a hip injury he picked up in the Round 20 game against Essendon.

Over his two matches this season, the 18-year-old has impressed with his appetite for the contest, strength in tackles, courage in the air and neat ball use.

Similarly to McKay, he will train in an effort to prove his fitness for the team's trip to the City of Churches.

Dashing defender Flynn Perez was an unused substitute on Sunday, after he was suspended the previous week.

Perez featured in 14 of 15 straight matches before he was sanctioned, so he may have the trust of the coaches to slot straight in.

Draftee Josh Goater is on the periphery of selection for his first game, the defender having been named as an emergency for the last two AFL matches.

The 19-year-old did his prospects no harm against the Swans' reserves with 24 disposals, six marks and a goal.

The match committee could be tempted to call up Charlie Comben to form a one-two punch with Nick Larkey, who put seven past Sydney on Sunday.

A fan favourite, Comben booted a game-best 3.4 against the Swans' twos, and took his tally for the season to 18.16 from just nine games.

Having made a full recovery since his season was split in two by surgery on his knee, the 21-year-old has put his hand up for a late cameo.

After a spell on personal leave, smooth-moving onballer Tarryn Thomas could also be in line for a recall.

Sporting a new blond style, Thomas recorded 20 disposals, six tackles, five clearances and a goal as he cut through the Swans' team defence.