The next 10 days will give North Melbourne a close look at how their key position players will slot into spots under Alastair Clarkson this year as several tall Roos contend for roles at their end of the field.
Arden Street will host an intra-club session on Saturday morning - a week before the Kangaroos host Melbourne at the same venue for their first pre-season hitout.
The final sessions of summer will see Clarkson's large contingent of key position players make their case for Round 1 duties, with the four-time premiership coach not short on options in all three lines of the field.
The addition of premiership Eagle Jack Darling looks set to offer some assistance to four-time leading goalkicker Nick Larkey in 2025, with the 298-gamer to slot into the secondary tall forward role and fill a much-needed void.
Whether Clarkson elects for a third tall forward will be uncovered in the coming weeks, with a number of key position players potentially putting their hands up after a year spent at both ends of the field.
Thursday morning's session at Roos HQ offered evidence that 199cm swingman Charlie Comben looks ready for another season in defence, having enjoyed his 2024 campaign behind the ball in what was a breakout year for the 23-year-old.
The forward-turned-defender looks to have made the leap to role of first-string key defender in Clarkson's squad as the immovable piece on the Roos' last line with his aerial work and ball distribution.
Comben could be a headache for opposition defenders if he was utilised in the forward third alongside Larkey and Darling, but Clarkson - who admitted last year Comben could eventually return to his more familiar forward role - is set to hold the once-luckless Roo in a rearguard role.
Other key position options in Toby Pink, Griffin Logue and Wil Dawson could be considered for forward spots, with ruck-forward Callum Coleman-Jones still sidelined with an Achilles injury.
2024 Mid-Season Draft addition Brynn Teakle is another who can be considered as a key forward asset who can also pinch-hit in the ruck, with the former Port Adelaide ruck looking to add to hid 11 games in the blue and white from last year.
Veteran Aidan Corr looks like the leading man to partner with Comben in defence, while fourth-year defender Kallan Dawson has continued to make his case at training.
Both Dawsons, Pink and Logue will look to push for starting roles, with the latter having endured an injury-hit 2024 season to play just two games at senior level.
The Roos look set to ease first-round pick Matt Whitlock into action under a more patient approach with the teenager, while second-year ruckman Taylor Goad looks to be progressing well as an athletic 207cm talent.
While breakout big man Tristan Xerri looks set to hold the main ruck role for the long haul, Goad could soon make his case as a secondary option who can also float in attack or behind the ball.
The forward selection mix will also consider medium-sized targets in Zane Duursma and Eddie Ford, while Paul Curtis and Cam Zurhaar play much taller than their frames suggest.
The Roos currently have a healthy list to pick from for Saturday's intra-club, with skipper Jy Simpkin a notable absentee due to his commitments with the Indigenous All Stars in Perth this weekend.
George Wardlaw, Zac Fisher and Brayden George were the only Roos other than the aforementioned Coleman-Jones to be limited at training.
