McDonald puts hand up at North

North Melbourne players doing a time trial at Albert Park athletics track. North Melbourne's Sam Gibson leads the time trial. Picture: George Salpigtidis. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

NORTH Melbourne father-son recruit Luke McDonald is already in pole position for an early-season debut after a strong start to the club's pre-season.

McDonald and the club's 1st to fourth year players started a pre-season coach Brad Scott has promised will be "combative, aggressive and taxing".

The Roos have high hopes of an instant impact from free agency acquisition Nick Dal Santo and McDonald, who will be taken at pick 8 after last month's father-son bidding.

He finished seventh in a highly impressive 2km time trial at Lakeside Oval behind Sam Gibson, rookie Tim McGenniss, Ryan Bastinac, Shaun Atley and Jamie Macmillan.

Coach Brad Scott is aware McDonald will need to handle many of the same expectations of dramatic improvement that the club faces for 2014.

SAINT SAAD TO LEARN FATE

But while the Roos know he will take time, his impressive VFL finals performances for Werribee will only be enhanced by a second Utah altitude camp in coming weeks after travelling to America with the club last year.

Drew Petrie started his 14th pre-season early despite being allowed another fortnight's break, with only forward Majak Daw (PCL reconstruction) and captain Andrew Swallow (achilles surgery) facing delayed pre-seasons.

Scott said last week only through a massive pre-season would the Roos put themselves in position to justify the huge expectations after impressive on and off-field recruitments.

"We are pretty confident in the health of our list, but the hard work is about to start and we will have a combative, aggressive and taxing pre-season. The players are relishing that opportunity and hopefully come Round 1 we have similar list availability.

"Andrew (Swallow) is making great progress and Utah will be the best place for him to rehab his achilles. There is no better place to do hiking and walking than Utah."

Daw will be "touch and go" for Round 1 after his PCL reconstruction, but Scott said he would be ready for repetitive sprint work.

"A lot of the work for him is coaching around specific tactics and game-sense training and we are going to be able to do that. When he does come back into the side he will be ready."

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