North Melbourne defender Sam Wright will start pre-season in good shape after having a final surgical procedure on his left ankle.
The 26-year-old had surgery to repair ligaments in his ankle after round 11 and did not play for the rest of the season.
Last week he had the wire removed and the ankle cleaned up as part of the recovery process.
He is expected to be fit and ready to train when the Kangaroos' resume pre-season.
Wright came of age in the 2014 finals series and has played in 22 wins and 10 losses in the past two years.
He managed just eight games after missing three weeks due to an injured right ankle.
Wright was one of the key players the Kangaroos lost to injury in the second half of this season.
The Kangaroos expect other key players who were missing in the back half of the season including Mason Wood, Jarrad Waite and Ben Jacobs to resume pre-season on time.
North Melbourne has already had a busy off-season with Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito and Nick Dal Santo being told their contracts were not being renewed.
Farren Ray retired after one season with the Kangaroos and Robin Nahas was delisted.
The club announced on Tuesday it had re-signed Majak Daw, Jarrad Waite, Sam Gibson, Braydon Preuss and Will Fordham as it heads into a new era under coach Brad Scott.
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