North coach Brad Scott told Black early last week he might play against the Hawks with fellow key forward Lachlan Hansen in doubt with a minor medial ligament strain.
Black, 22, told AFL.com.au this week that as soon as he received Scott's news he started preparing as though he was playing that weekend.
Perennial emergency breaks through
Black, 192cm, had not played a senior game since round 12, 2012, against Gold Coast and did not want to waste his opportunity if it came.
"I wanted to be mentally ready to go if I got the chance," Black said.
"In the VFL you can have a little lapse here and there and it might not really matter too much, whereas in the AFL if you're not concentrating for a few seconds your opponent will just run off you and get the footy, or you might make a mistake.
"The concentration and the speed of the game at AFL level is just unbelievable. It's a big step up and I wanted to try to make sure I was ready for it."
It was not until the morning of last Sunday's game that Black received confirmation he would be playing against the Hawks – just his fifth AFL game.
Roos v Hawks talking points
By then he was ready to go.
Stationed alongside co-vice-captain Drew Petrie and second-gamer Majak Daw, Black looked at home in the Roos' attack and was the most productive of the tall trio with two goals.
Black's first goal came at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, when he marked unopposed 20m out from goal, played on and snapped truly.
Black then kicked the opening goal of the second half, when he ran onto a clever Daniel Wells knock-on and converted from 50m out on a tight angle.
It was an impressive kick, but teammate Lindsay Thomas told Black later he'd been free at the top of the goalsquare at the time.
"I didn't even see him, so I'm lucky I kicked the goal otherwise I would have copped a spray from 'Linds' for not centering it," Black said.
Black also laid eight tackles against Hawthorn, the equal highest tally in the match alongside Hawk Shaun Burgoyne and five more than any other North player.
"Forward pressure was one of the areas the coaches told me to work on from last year, not letting the defenders get easy kicks out," Black said.
"When the ball goes to ground, just because I'm a key forward doesn't mean the contest is over for me. I've still got to go at ground level, try and get it and put on as much pressure as I can."
Black's performance against the Hawks drew praise from Scott.
He was told on Wednesday he would hold his spot for Saturday's clash with Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena.
"He is a real footballer's footballer, so he understands the game and he gets into really dangerous positions," Scott said in his post-match press conference last Sunday.
Last Sunday's game wasn't the first time at AFL level Black had showcased the athleticism that convinced the Roos they'd snared a bargain at pick No. 25 in the 2009 national draft.
In his second game for North, in round nine last season, the former basketballer kicked 3.0 against the Brisbane Lions and set up two other goals, with Scott later saying -he had added "real spark" to North's attack.
But after going goalless in North's next two games – the 115-point round 10 loss to Hawthorn and narrow round 12 win over the Suns – Black was dropped to the VFL.
Listen to North Melbourne's Drew Petrie on AFL Exchange
Despite good form with North Ballarat, Black could not break back into North's forward line last season. Essentially, he was a victim of the three-pronged tall forward line of Hansen, Petrie and Robbie Tarrant, which came together in round 13 and played a key part in North's surge into its first finals series since 2008.
Even after a strong 2013 NAB Cup campaign, Black started this season in the VFL as Scott stuck with the Petrie-Hansen-Tarrant team.
Black said his long wait for a senior recall was frustrating, but he had understood he needed to improve areas of his game.
"Getting dropped is never really that much fun, but I guess last year we had that really good second half of the year, so it was a pretty tough team to crack into," Black said.
"I went away and 'Scotty' told me a few things I had to work on and one of them was fitness. So over the summer I got through my second whole pre-season in a row and that's really helped.
"I also had to add a bit of consistency to my game, which comes with that fitness. Late in quarters I used to drop off a bit, whereas this year the coaches are pretty pleased that I can finish off games better now, and so am I."
Black is the first to acknowledge he remains a work in progress, with strength and contested marking two areas he is currently focusing on.
"If I can't mark it or I'm in a bad spot, I need to make sure I don't get out-marked and at least try and bring the ball to ground," he says.
The Hawks game also reminded Black how good AFL defenders are at working forwards under the ball, something he will guard against this Saturday.
Aaron Black was impressive in his return against the Hawks and now has his sights set on helping North Melbourne to a win. Picture: AFL Media
Black admits he, Petrie and Daw occasionally got in each other's way against the Hawks. But given they have rarely played together before, he is confident that won't be an ongoing problem.
He also hopes he will have the rest of the season to develop an understanding with Petrie and co.
"It would be nice to stay in for the rest of the year, but I guess early on I've got to keep doing the team things and hopefully we can start getting a few wins on the board and really get going after that," he says.
Nick Bowen covers North Melbourne news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick
