Jed Anderson will make his return from a thumb injury in Saturday’s VFL practice match.

The midfielder underwent surgery on his left thumb in late December, and is among 21 AFL-listed players set to take on Williamstown at Arden Street.

Fellow onballer Paul Ahern will take another step towards his regular season return, after enjoying a run in the AFLX competition, while first-year players Will Walker, Tristan Xerri, Tom Murphy and Gordon Narrier will also be in action.

Several players who didn’t play in both JLT Series matches will enjoy some valuable game time too, with the likes of Jy Simpkin, Mason Wood, Braydon Preuss and Trent Dumont all named. 

Six VFL-listed Kangaroos will line up, with Jordan McIvor-Clark, Matthew Northe, Tom Hotchin, Liam Whelan, Max Hayes and Quintin Montanaro all in the 27-man squad.

North Melbourne fans are welcome to attend the match, with the first bounce at around 10.30am at Arden Street this Saturday.