An unfortunate injury to Daniel Nielson could open up a spot for a rookie promotion, and Robin Nahas is the first to stake his claim.

Nahas was arguably best-on-ground in North Ballarat’s practice match on Sunday.

The small-forward collected 20 disposals, 7 marks and kicked 3 goals in Craigieburn against Coburg, proving a constant threat in the Roosters’ forward half.

“His pressure was fantastic,” Senior Development Coach Gavin Brown told NMFC.com.au.

“He was really lively and dangerous and probably our best for the day.”

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Alongside him in the forward line, Aaron Black kicked two goals from 11 possessions in his first game for the Roosters since early 2013.

With a tough wind to navigate at Highgate Recreation Reserve, it wasn’t a day suited for the key-position forwards, but Black battled through the elements.

"There were times when he created a lot of pressure down forward and his goals were nice finishes in the tough conditions," Brown said.

Braydon Preuss was another to come in for praise, with several impressive marks, both in contested play and on the lead.

“He played deep-forward a lot of the day and then when he went in the ruck (12 hit-outs) he was able to dominate clearly," Brown added.

“It was a really good start for him, it was really promising. He’s quite mobile and he showed quite a bit.”

Brad McKenzie continued his new role off half-back, accumulating 15 disposals, while Max Warren was typically solid with 18 possessions of his own.

Sam Durdin battled through illness in his first game for the season, playing largely close to goal.