Sam Gibson is further proof that footballers should never give up on their dream to play AFL.

At 26-years old, the mature-age rookie will step out onto Metricon Stadium on Saturday night with North Melbourne and play the Gold Coast Suns in his first ever game at the highest level.

It’s an accomplishment he’d always hoped to achieve.

“There’s probably half a dozen guys now that have been over 25-years old and made an AFL debut and gone on and made good stories,” he told kangaroos.com.au shortly after training at Aegis Park.

“If you follow that dream the key is to never give up.

“I think it’s just the nature of footy now that if there’s someone out there capable of filling a role on a club’s list, it doesn’t matter whether they’re 18 or 28 or 29-years old, if someone’s willing to take a chance on them.”

North used its ability to upgrade a rookie after Round 11 without hesitation and head coach Brad Scott informed Gibson that he was the club’s choice on Thursday. However the midfielder wasn’t the first in his family to hear the news.

“They actually knew before me I think because I think it might have been announced in the press conference by Brad before training. We were out on the oval training at the time and I found out a couple of hours later.

“My family has seen firsthand how long it’s taken for me and the work I’ve put in so it’s sort of reward for them too because they’ve been there every step of the way.

Gibson said he was well aware of the circumstances and the opportunity which would present itself halfway through the season.

“I knew that a rookie could be upgraded after Round 11 and that was sort of the goal I’d set myself. That was when it (an upgrade) could happen and that was when I wanted it to happen. But I had no indication of who was going to get the nod until he (Brad) tapped me on the shoulder.

“I couldn’t change anything given the position I was in. I couldn’t force my way onto the list and the positive was I didn’t have to worry about selection every week, I just knew that I had to play well in the VFL and put myself in the frame and then the opportunity would come, and thank God it has.”

Working as a civil engineer with the McConnell Dowell construction company before being picked up by North Melbourne in the 2011 Rookie Draft, Gibson says he couldn’t be happier with how things have panned out so far this year.

“I’ve loved it. North has a great bunch of people and it certainly beats sitting at a desk all day which I was doing. Now, to have this reward and see the other side of being at an AFL club is amazing.

“I’m just excited…primarily excited and there’s a little bit of relief to know that the year hadn’t fully slipped away and that there’s still plenty of time. I’ll probably get nervous on the morning of the game but it’s been so long now that I’ve got nothing to lose and it’s just excitement really.

“I’ll have some expectations and I’m pretty hard on myself but that being said, I’ll just go out and play whatever role they (the coaches) want me to play to the best of my ability and whatever happens from there happens.”