North Melbourne has welcomed former midfielder Daniel Harris back to the club after two years at the Gold Coast.

The recently retired veteran returned to Aegis Park on Thursday, on the eve of the club’s first NAB Cup match.

“It’s great. As soon as I walked in the door I felt very welcome,” Harris told kangaroos.com.au.

“It’s a very family friendly club and I’m still part of the family I suppose and it was like I’d never left. I’ve got a lot of good mates here and a lot of friends and I reckon it’s a really exciting time for the club.”

Harris will be assisting midfield coach Darren Crocker a few days a week, including some match-days.

“I’ll be more one-on-one and be able to give the young guys some feedback and different ideas at the games and at training.

“Coming back from the Gold Coast, I learned a lot playing with the likes of Gary Ablett, Michael Rischitelli and Jarred Brennan. The young group here is very exciting and they’re all coming through well together and I’m rapt to be a part of it.”

Harris experienced firsthand the calibre of player North has at its disposal having played against them last year.

“I watched them from a far and played them and was very impressed with how they were going. Their pressure around the ball and their organisation, even though they’re a young group, there are some really good leaders. On top of that is the talent as well.”

As for his style of coaching, Harris says he’ll be hands on.

“I’d love to get involved in most of the drills and show body positioning and that sort of stuff…I want to be pretty physical with the boys and am still having a kick at Airport West.”

Harris will bring a new perspective having been at the Suns with players from different clubs, backgrounds and techniques.

“It’s a mixture of things probably because they’ve all come from different clubs. You look at the way they prepare, rehab, diet, running patterns and they all had different things to take from. I picked their brains as much as I could and those guys clearly know what they’re doing and it’s good to relay the message.”

And when he’s away from the Roos, Harris will still have his hands full after recently starting up a landscaping business.

“It’s going really well and I absolutely love it. We’ve had a fair bit of work on but could always do with more. We’d be happy to help out all the North fans too.”

Harris’ business details can be found at bestongroundlandscapes.com.au.