Greg Gallman will make his comeback from injury for North Adelaide this weekend

GUTSY North Adelaide skipper Greg Gallman will not change the way he plays when he resumes from a horror jaw injury tomorrow.

GUTSY North Adelaide skipper Greg Gallman will not change the way he plays when he resumes from a horror jaw injury tomorrow.

Gallman snapped his jaw completely after copping an accidental knee to the face after running back with the flight of the ball for a mark against Central in round two.

The surgeon was forced to manually put the jaw back into place and wire Gallman's teeth together. Gallman was initially advised against playing again this season.

Fifteen weeks later, he will return for North Adelaide's reserves against Port Adelaide at Prospect and says he will adopt the same hard-nosed approach he had before the injury.

"I'm confident with the work I've done now that I'm ready, and I just need to tick off that last thing, which is to get through a game," Gallman says.

"I feel confident enough that I'll be running in just as hard and playing the way I always do. I think you have to have that attitude."

Gallman describes the weeks after the injury as horrific. Forced to move back in with his parents, the defender could not open his mouth for three weeks and lost 6kg because he couldn't eat solids.

"I couldn't eat any soups or anything. I was just pure liquids and purees.

"It was shocking, I spent a lot of time just sitting on my parents' recliner

"I've some pretty shocking injuries but this one was by far the worst in terms of the rehab and what I had to go through afterward."

Spurring Gallman on through his 15 week recuperation was the form of his teammates. North sits second on the SANFL ladder with a 9-4 record, and the first year captain has been itching to get back amongst it.

"It's been good to watch the way the guys have gone about it," Gallman says.

"The guys that have come in have done a terrific job especially in defence where we've had some injuries

"Whether we were playing well or playing poorly I'd want to be out there doing what I can to help, but the fact it looks like there is going to be a finals campaign at the end of the season has really driven me to try to get back.

"I've been working as hard as I can on my fitness, but I need to get some matches under my belt now."

Gallman considered donning the helmet made famous by his fellow Roosters backman Luke Ivens upon his return tomorrow, but his surgeon advised that it would not protect his jaw.

"I tried on Luke's helmet," he jokes.

"The surgeon said that, if anything, it might help mentally, but physically, it would not help me.

"I'm sure my mum would love me to wear one but there's nothing it would do."