KEY DEFENSIVE prospect Nathan Grima could take heed from songwriter Paul Kelly's wisdom that from little things, big things grow.

Grima adopted a back-to-basics approach when, just over a month after joining North Melbourne's rookie list in December 2007, he wrenched his knee in a training drill and required a reconstruction.

At 22, the odds of Grima resurrecting his career were stacked against him, but an arduous recovery earned a place on the senior list for 2009.

Named as an emergency for round one, he was so close to what seemed an unlikely debut.

"It's been a pretty long road back," Grima said. "I was pretty fortunate when Dean (Laidley) gave me the news that I was being put up to the main list. I didn't really see it coming.

"When I did my knee, I thought that being the age I was at the time it might be the end [of my career]. Our lack of tall defenders helped my cause.

"To get another opportunity on the rookie list would have been great but to get promoted just made all those hard sessions worthwhile. All the extra work I did away from the group when you don’t think anyone's watching, obviously it all helps in your favour."

Grima performed better than he expected in North's intra-club scratch matches and was handed opportunities against genuine opponents in last month's NAB Challenge clashes with Fremantle and Port Adelaide.

The match against Fremantle was his first proper hit-out in almost 18 months and ended a journey that began with a re-introduction to his teammates and the Arden Street facilities.

"I sort of had only a four-week period [after being rookie-listed] to make an impression on the boys," he said.

"They say the only way you can gain respect at a footy club is by the way you go about your playing and training. To do my knee and be away from the club for two or three weeks made it pretty difficult early.

"Once I got stuck into my rehab, I did everything I could to try to get that respect of the group."

Sharing common ground with Laidley, assistant coaches Darren Crocker, Darren Bewick and Danny Daly and teammate Leigh Harding – who are all former knee reconstruction victims themselves – Grima admits he became more professional for the process.

Fast forward to November and, just as the rest of the squad was embarking on pre-season, Grima was reaching the peak of his.

Aerobically, he was in the upper bracket but the balance between ongoing rehabilitation and involvement in skills sessions took some fine-tuning.

"In that first session back I was able to run up around near my best times in all our testing," he said. "It was just the footy stuff that was tough, like just judging the footy and getting back in change of direction – all the things that come naturally if you've never been injured.

"You've just got to take baby steps I guess, tick off the boxes and by the end of it I was able to join in with the main skills. [Come] your first bit of contact work, you're a bit hesitant.

"I've got full confidence in the rehab program that PT (strength and conditioning coach Paul Turk) and the boys have put together. If I did my knee again, I'd have to be pretty unlucky I reckon."

Originally from Tasmania, Grima spent two seasons with the Devils – including a year when they were North's VFL affiliate – before crossing to SANFL club Central District for 2007.

His efforts that year caught the eye of then-North recruiting manager Neville Stibbard, who obviously forecast what the coaches are considering now.

"Really putting it into perspective, there's maybe one or two spots I could help out with – maybe at full-back or playing as a tall down back," Grima said.

"If it doesn't work out straight away, [I want] to play consistent VFL footy at Werribee. Bringing it back again, it's just getting back to the little basics of what used to make me a reasonable player.

"Hopefully it gets to the big picture."