North Melbourne key defenders Griffin Logue and Charlie Comben are eyeing a return to full fitness following the Christmas break.
Logue's time at Arden Street has been plagued by injury, dealing with knee and wrist issues, limiting his outings to 17 across two years.
"I'm loving being back out there," Logue told NMFC Media.
"Staying on the park is one thing I've always been striving for, and I think only once or twice (in my career) I've had a season where I've gone uninterrupted for the whole year.
"I owe it to the club, and I feel like I owe it to the boys as well, to get out there and just … do whatever I can for the team."
Comben is also expected to resume full training after going under the knife to rectify his shoulder, as is Dawson (groin) and Duursma (shoulder).
The Kangaroos will also hope that fellow key defender Aidan Corr will get a fair block of work in before the season starts on March 15.
In 2024, coach Alastair Clarkson was bereft of defensive options due to injury, and will hope the availabilities of Logue, Comben and Corr will secure the back half.
| Player | Injury | Estimated Return |
| Geordie Payne | Shin | December/January |
| Charlie Comben | Shoulder | January |
| Kallan Dawson | Groin | January |
| Zane Duursma | Shoulder | January |
| Aidan Corr | Finger | Mid-late January |
| Wil Dawson | Shoulder | January/February |
| Josh Goater | Achilles | January/February |
| Jacob Konstanty | Foot | February |
| Brayden George | Knee | April-June |
| Achilles | May-June |