FATHER-SON draftee Bailey Scott will make his AFL debut for North Melbourne on Sunday as one of five new faces for the season-opening clash with Fremantle.

The 18-year-old was a pre-season standout even before the practice matches started and he only enhanced his standing with some impressive performances.

Scott, son of 1996 Kangaroos premiership player and former Cat Robert, appeared in both of the club's JLT Community Series matches, which included compiling 19 disposals and two goals against Port Adelaide.

He was rated a top-30 talent in last year's draft but slid to No.49 – much to North's delight – after choosing the Kangas, despite also being eligible to join Gold Coast (Academy) or Geelong (father-son).

Scott is a slight 74kg but arrived at Arden St with eight NEAFL games under his belt last year and has had little problem adjusting to the AFL environment, according to coach Brad Scott.

"(Bailey)'s forced his way in through his preparation in the pre-season and his performance through the JLT series, so he's truly worthy of his spot," the coach said.

"Purely in terms of playing against AFL players, that was a slight query, but he played a fair bit of footy in the NEAFL against AFL-listed players and grown men, so he performed really well at that level as well.

"There was still a question mark with the step up in intensity, but I'm not concerned about his size – I'm more concerned about his strength, and his strength has been really good.

FULL FIXTURE Every round, every game

"He's fought to hold his feet in the contest (and) he's won his fair share of one-on-ones, so his weight on the scales is irrelevant. It's his relative strength that's important."

Trade additions Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard, Dom Tyson and Aaron Hall are also expected to face the Dockers at Optus Stadium.

However, Brad Scott said his teenage namesake would bring many of the same qualities those established newcomers excel in.

"(The fans) remember Robert Scott, he's a premiership player for North, and (Bailey)'s got a lot of similar attributes in terms of his neat ball use and running capability and his ability to get across the ground," Scott said.

WHO MAKES FINALS? Do the 2019 Ladder Predictor

"There's been a lot of talk in the pre-season about some of the players we've brought in, bringing in some outside run, and that's true, but Bailey certainly brings that in spades.

"He's a really good acquisition for us, partly because he's a father-son, but also because he brings a lot of what we need."

Robbie Tarrant (AC joint) will be fit to lead the Roos' depleted defence, and Marley Williams and Jamie Macmillan (both calf) will also play in Ben Brown's 100th game.

Scott hinted he was also likely to include second-year midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke, the No.4 draft pick in 2017 who played only seven times last season.

"His pre-season suggests he's in for a good 2019 and I'm really excited about what he can produce," Scott said.

"I watched him really closely as a junior and he was an elite player as a junior, and more through 2019 we'll see those elite attributes come to the fore.

"He's a big, strong boy and he's incredibly powerful (but he's had to adjust) to the way AFL footy's played, because you could argue it's a different sport from underage footy to AFL footy."

One of the unknowns for Scott and his coaching team is how Fremantle will react to a week dominated by talk of forward recruit Jesse Hogan's clinical anxiety and resultant behaviour.

"Every club goes through challenges throughout the year. Some on the eve of the season, some later on," Scott said.

"It can really challenge you or it can galvanise you. We're expecting Fremantle at their best.

"Every team's had a long pre-season to get ready for round one, so to pin your hopes on one player is folly. We certainly wouldn't do that and I don't expect them to do that either."