When Taylor Garner ran out onto the MCG with North Melbourne last Sunday to face Richmond, he was the only Kangaroo without any finals experience under his belt.

"There were some nerves before the game. I was a bit jittery in the warm-up, but everyone pretty much just said to me, 'Play your role, you know what to do,' and once the siren went it was fine," Garner told The Age’s Emma Quayle.

"I went out with a mindset of just wanting to help the team, and that helped it feel like just another game, but it was still a bit surreal and pretty amazing.”

The young forward played his role, which included a standout second quarter, but admits there were times he doubted he’d ever make it when injuries began to mount up soon after he arrived at Arden Street.

The 21-year-old walked through the doors fresh from a shoulder reconstruction, had an ankle operation after year one, surgery on both hips, a thumb procedure and most significantly, he has battled serious hamstring issues.

"I was a little boy when I got here," Garner said.

"My body wasn't ready for the big league, but it is now."

Garner initially thought his first hamstring injury was minor, but it was anything but. He’d damaged the tendon.

"I did it four or five times in the end, and that's not really counting all the little problems in between," he said.

"That was it for me, for the year.

"There were doubts and there were times when I thought, 'This just isn't going to work, maybe my hammies just can't take it.'

One positive he gained from the experience was the mental toughness he developed after dealing with several setbacks.

"You learn a lot about yourself when you're injured. It's a dark place at times, rehab. It's full on, and it can get pretty depressing,” he said.

“You're doing so much work, but it can feel like you're not really getting anywhere."

After gaining selection back into the team 10 weeks ago, Garner hasn’t looked back. Playing in front of more than 90,000 against the Tigers in the elimination final was his reward for years of painstaking effort.

“I was rapt to be out there and pumped to be part of the side. Hopefully I can be in there again this week."