North Melbourne rookie Ben Speight was on a cruise ship heading for Fiji when he received an email that would change his life.

Football was far from the mind of the 20 year-old but the message that sat in his inbox would change all that.

“For some reason I just thought I’d check my email and there it was, a message from my manager,” Speight told kangaroos.com.au.

“He was passing on the news that the club had decided to upgrade me and add me to the senior list for 2011…it was unbelievable news and pretty unexpected considering where I was at the time.”

Speight says he knew the club would promote a rookie for next year, but he was unsure what his chances where.

“I really had no idea which way it would go. Obviously Marcus (White) and Car-Keys (Luke Delaney) had fantastic seasons, so it was a flip of the coin I reckon. But I am absolutely rapt with the result.”

After the news of his promotion sank in, Speight says he immediately started thinking about the upcoming season.

“From day one of the preseason I can look forward the NAB Cup and round one of the season proper with an aim to feature in those games. But I have a mountain of work ahead of me and I intend to do everything in my power to get to the level required.

“The Utah camp will be crucial and my broken collar-bone has all healed well and I’m ready to go.

“I just have to keep a level head, have faith in my ability and be prepared to work hard for the coming years so I can play more AFL footy.”