Having worked "extremely hard" to make an inspiring comeback to senior football in August, North Melbourne star midfielder Ben Cunnington is loving being fully back among the action at Arden Street as he continues to grind his way back to full fitness.

In what's been a well-documented story, Cunnington recovered from two bouts of testicular cancer, a calf strain and a stint with COVID before running out onto Adelaide Oval in Round 22 for his first AFL appearance since his first diagnosis in July, 2021.

The two-time Syd Barker Medallist managed to get two AFL games and one VFL game under his belt before North Melbourne's 2022 campaign finished.

Four months on from his emotional return, Cunnington says he's travelling well health-wise as he prepares for a full season on the park.

"(My) health is going great," Cunnington confirmed.

"Obviously, I'm getting regular check-ups when they come around, but otherwise it's probably more the mindset and appreciation and perspective that's at an all-time high for the game at the minute.

"I'm absolutely loving just kicking the football with the boys, running around, sweating, getting to work and hopefully we can get some wins this year.

"But just to be back out there amongst the boys, it's been great."

The experienced onballer progressed through three weeks of official pre-season training before the Christmas break and spoke on which one of his teammates has caught his eye the most.

"I feel a couple of older guys who have had such good years in 'LMac' (Luke McDonald) and Jy (Simpkin) are flying. They've taken their fitness and training to another level," Cunnington said.

"But if I was going to go with (just) one I'd go with 'Arch' (Jackson Archer).

"He's absolutely leading the way with our running and not leaving any stone unturned - he's definitely been impressive."

With arguably the greatest coach of the modern now at the helm, Cunnington and the Kangaroos are striving towards making a significant improvement on the past two years.

Alastair Clarkson officially started at Arden Street a little bit over a month ago, and while giving North Melbourne an injection of valuable experience and vast knowledge, as well as stability upon his arrival, his approach during pre-season has been unlike that that of the other coaches Cunnington has played under.

"… Respect to the other coaches, but I think because 'Clarko' has been there and won a couple of flags (he) straight away gets that respect and gets the boys' attentions," the midfielder said.

"He's brought in a few concepts and different things that has definitely got our attention and he's definitely setting good standards straight away."