Lachie Young has praised the impact of North Melbourne's veteran defenders in helping develop his game.

After eight games at the Western Bulldogs, Young looked for a fresh start a new club. He's already impressed, as one of the Roos' best performers against St Kilda in Thursday's practice match.

“I’ve been bouncing of Taz (Robbie Tarrant) and Luke McDonald,” Young told North Media.

“It’s been really good to work with those guys and learn the tricks of the trade.

“I’ve been watching vision with Luke McDonald. He’s been helping me with some of my positional stuff and how to get on the end of a few [intercepts] as well.

“Obviously there are a lot of games down there and a lot of experience.”

North will look to bounce back in this weekend’s practice match against Hawthorn, after falling to the Saints. 

Despite the scoreline, Young believes there were good signs against the Saints and says the chemistry being built amongst the team in these practice games is invaluable.

“It was really important to get that hitout and start to see what people can do,” he said.

“We had some good points to come out of the game, and obviously a lot of key things to work on as well.

“Hopefully this weekend we’re going to improve. We want to play with a bit more speed and get the ball moving.”

North Melbourne takes on Hawthorn at 4:10pm this Saturday at Arden Street.