North Melbourne midfielder Jed Anderson is reportedly closing in on a return to the club's pre-season program after being frozen out of Arden Street due to his vaccine status.
According to reports from SEN's Sam Edmund, the 28-year-old is nearing an end to his hiatus in Darwin due to the impending availability of the Novavax vaccine on Australian shores.
JED Anderson is poised to return to Arden Street from Darwin. North have been hopeful rather than confident, but Anderson's indicated he's prepared to play on. Sources said Novavax has paved the way for the now highly-likely return. North had set this Monday as the deadline.
— Sam Edmund (@Sammy__Edmund) February 17, 2022
While the former Hawk had previously rolled up his sleeve for a first jab in line with league protocols, but with what has been described as an adverse reaction to this initial inoculation, Anderson has since failed to obtain a second dose.
Given this, the Katherine-born product was told he could no longer join David Noble's side on the training track from November 26 of last year.
According to Edmund, Anderson has maintained lines of communication with the club during his absence, however, North Melbourne has also told the midfielder that he will need to be back in the state by February 21.
At the time of writing, Anderson is yet to break his silence or confirm whether he will meet this marker or not.
Irrespective of his availability, North Melbourne will face Melbourne and Sydney in pre-season clashes across the course of the next month before their season proper commences against Hawthorn on Sunday, March 20 at the MCG.
