Now, club champion Brent Harvey says the players are fully aware of just how fierce the competition for spots will be, following some key additions including Nick Dal Santo and Robbie Nahas and some organic improvement from those already on the list.
"It's going to be interesting to see how it goes this year," Harvey said.
"If someone doesn't play well, in previous years they probably got a game because they are a good footballer. If you don't play well now I think there's enough players underneath and enough pressure underneath to come up. You've got to hold your spot now.
"It's probably not great for the individual, but certainly great for our football club."
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After a week at his new club, Harvey says Dal Santo looks right at home.
"The way he goes about his training, he's very professional, he's very silky, he adds a new dimension in terms of our skill level.
"We all know how silky Daniel Wells is, but Dal's just as silky as he is. It's great to see him on the training track all day kicking the football. It's always right in front of your face and I'm sure Drew (Petrie) and Blacky (Aaron Black) and those type of guys will be pretty happy to have Dal on our list now."”
Despite being drafted way back in 1995, the Kangaroos' games record-holder has no plans to step aside anytime soon and continues to adapt to a changing landscape.
"Back then we used to train three days a week; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday with a couple of weights sessions, and that was about it," Harvey told NMFC.com.au.
The ability to stay ahead of the pack is perhaps what's made the evergreen 35-year-old one of North's all-time greats. While others have fallen behind around him, Harvey has somehow improved with age.
"Now we are at the club all-day and have camps to Utah for three weeks. I didn't envisage this, but I've just been going with the flow over the years and adapted to the new challenges."”
Ahead of his 19th season, the number 29 doesn't look like he's lost any of his dash.
"I had a bit of a break in the off-season with the family in Thailand and just refreshed myself to get ready for this camp.
"We are pretty much half-way through now and I'm still feeling good. (I'll) get through to Christmas and once we get back it's pretty much game-on because the season starts a little bit earlier this year."”
Harvey hasn't made it through pre-season totally unscathed though. After copping some friendly fire going back into a contest on Monday (Utah time), he was left with a cut clip and subsequently, five stitches.
It's all part of the game though for the little champion, who has openly welcomed the competition for places in the best 22.
