North Melbourne expect key talls Ben Brown and Majak Daw to resume full training with the group on January 14, when the club returns from their Christmas break.
Brown, who kicked 61 goals in 2018 to finish runner-up behind Richmond's Jack Riewoldt in the Coleman Medal, had minor surgery on his knee post-season and is moving well.
Daw had surgery at season's end to repair a fracture in his foot, with the club's medical staff helping him to manage the injury throughout the season.
The 27-year-old cemented a spot in defence playing 18 games to bring up his 50th game in the final round.
Both are expected to build up with the rehab group in the pre-Christmas period.
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Star midfielder Shaun Higgins told Fairfax Media both were tracking well and were expected to be in good shape when the season rolls around in late-March.
"Browny's was more of a clean-up [process] and 'Maj' seems to be going really well," Higgins said.
"They slowed [them] up a little bit because they are so important."
Higgins expects Ben McKay's improvement to become evident to those outside the Kangaroos this season after he spent last season in the VFL learning how to play as a key defender.
He said the patience both McKay and the club has shown in readying himself for AFL football will pay off with the tall defender arriving at the club in 2015 as a 17-year-old after being selection No.21 in that year's national draft.
"We could have easily rushed him in last year, probably Scott Thompson having close to his career best year [in 2018] was a blessing for Benny, although he did not play," Higgins said.
The 21-year-old will be pushing to win a spot in defence alongside Thompson and Robbie Tarrant with Sam Durdin also a chance to make the step up next season.
Meanwhile the Kangaroos announced on Friday that Mazda Australia would be the sole major partner of the club's AFLW team, which is set to enter the AFLW competition in 2019.
Peter Ryan joined The Age in 2017 having covered AFL as a senior reporter with AFL Media.
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North Melbourne expect key talls Ben Brown and Majak Daw to resume full training with the group on January 14, when the club returns from their Christmas break.
Brown, who kicked 61 goals in 2018 to finish runner-up behind Richmond's Jack Riewoldt in the Coleman Medal, had minor surgery on his knee post-season and is moving well.
Daw had surgery at season's end to repair a fracture in his foot, with the club's medical staff helping him to manage the injury throughout the season.
The 27-year-old cemented a spot in defence playing 18 games to bring up his 50th game in the final round.
Both are expected to build up with the rehab group in the pre-Christmas period.
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Star midfielder Shaun Higgins told Fairfax Media both were tracking well and were expected to be in good shape when the season rolls around in late-March.
"Browny's was more of a clean-up [process] and 'Maj' seems to be going really well," Higgins said.
"They slowed [them] up a little bit because they are so important."
Higgins expects Ben McKay's improvement to become evident to those outside the Kangaroos this season after he spent last season in the VFL learning how to play as a key defender.
He said the patience both McKay and the club has shown in readying himself for AFL football will pay off with the tall defender arriving at the club in 2015 as a 17-year-old after being selection No.21 in that year's national draft.
"We could have easily rushed him in last year, probably Scott Thompson having close to his career best year [in 2018] was a blessing for Benny, although he did not play," Higgins said.
The 21-year-old will be pushing to win a spot in defence alongside Thompson and Robbie Tarrant with Sam Durdin also a chance to make the step up next season.
Meanwhile the Kangaroos announced on Friday that Mazda Australia would be the sole major partner of the club's AFLW team, which is set to enter the AFLW competition in 2019.
Peter Ryan joined The Age in 2017 having covered AFL as a senior reporter with AFL Media.
