North Melbourne's new era was unmistakably on show at Arden Street on Thursday, with new skipper Jack Ziebell and growing leader Jamie Macmillan driving the youthful Kangaroos through a challenging two-and-a-half-hour training session.

In warm and blustery conditions, former captain Andrew Swallow conspicuously took a back seat as Ziebell, Macmillan and veteran forward Jarrad Waite barked instructions at their teammates.

Ziebell was a commanding presence, calling the playing group together on several occasions and leaving no doubt about who was in charge after being groomed for the role for several years.

Waite shapes as the leader of North's attack next season following the departure of champion forward Drew Petrie, who has since joined West Coast, and appears hungry to bounce back from an injury-plagued second half of last season.

With a nearly fully-fit squad on the track on Thursday – only Ben Jacobs (foot), Sam Wright (ankle) and Ben Brown (knee) were on light duties – the Roos focused on honing their skills and decision-making under pressure.

Running machines Ryan Clarke and Sam Gibson stood out in full match simulation working the ball from congestion into attack, while recruit Nathan Hrovat continually put himself in the right spots and chastised himself for missing a target on his left foot.

Rangy 193cm rookie Oscar Junker impressed with his ability to find space and time in traffic, and the Western Jets product didn't look out of place just two weeks into his career at North.

Junker is one of 11 new faces at Arden Street this off-season as the Roos chart unfamiliar territory heading towards 2017 without games record holder Brent Harvey, Daniel Wells (Collingwood), Nick Dal Santo (retired), Michael Firrito (retired) and Petrie.

With a host of players yet to establish themselves at senior level, competition for spots for North Melbourne's first JLT Community Series fixture against Sydney at Coffs Harbour is already heating up.

The Roos will train until December 23 before taking their Christmas break until January 9, leaving only six weeks before they face the Swans in their first competitive hit-out.