NORTH Melbourne captain Emma Kearney is on track to make her long-awaited return from injury in this week's preliminary final against Port Adelaide.

Kearney has been on the sidelines since hurting her hamstring in the club's victory over North Melbourne in week five but trained strongly after passing a fitness test on Wednesday morning.

The eight-time All-Australian was put through her paces at the start of the session while her teammates warmed up on the opposite side of the oval.

Kearney did a range of tests on her hamstring, including jumps, knee raises and longer strides.

She then gradually built up her pace in run throughs, eventually hitting full speed.

The 35-year-old had been pushing to return for the qualifying final against Adelaide a fortnight ago, but a setback during the week meant the club opted to give her some extra time to recover.

Kearney then joined the rest of the team for the main training session participating in kicking drills before working through some stoppage simulation as both a defender and a midfielder.

During the line craft phase of the session, Kearney trained with the defenders, and she was able to complete the match simulation at the end of the session as well.

As the morning concluded, teammates embraced Kearney on the sidelines in jubilant celebrations when they found out the good news.

"I'm feeling fresh," Kearney told AFL.com.au at the end of the session.

Kearney's addition will be a massive boost for Darren Crocker's side this weekend, when the Kangaroos take on Port Adelaide in a preliminary final on Saturday afternoon.