Two of North Melbourne’s most important players are set to return to the lineup, with Jack Ziebell and Jared Polec in line to play on Monday against Sydney.
The captain, Ziebell, has been sidelined with a calf injury, but is vying for a Round 1 spot.
“I’m in a really good position to get back out there on Monday,” Ziebell said.
“It’ll probably be on limited game-time but I’m building very nicely towards Round 1."
Ziebell says despite the hiccups, he’s happy with the amount of work he’s done in the lead up to the season.
“I’ve probably done as much work as I have in the past five or six years,” he said.
“I’ve probably done five or six weeks of conditioning … with time on our side, we wanted to make sure I was a 100 per cent chance to make Round 1.”
Star winger Polec has been managing a foot injury but also looks ready to go after completing a full training session alongside Ziebell on Friday.
“We’ve been pretty close in the last four to six weeks in rehab … He’s pretty much in my boat,” Ziebell said of Polec’s progress.
“I’m pretty sure he got through everything he was supposed to get through, so he’ll suit up on Monday as well.”
North Melbourne v Sydney
Twin Ovals, Hobart
Monday, 1.40pm AEDT
