North Melbourne has received a massive boost as it looks to stay in finals contention with veteran forward Jarrad Waite set to make his highly anticipated return on Saturday.

Waite takes the place of midfielder Shaun Higgins for the must-win clash with Brisbane at the Gabba – the latter undergoing minor knee surgery earlier in the week.

Declan Mountford, Tom Murphy, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Ben McKay are the emergencies.