NORTH Melbourne defender Aidan Corr has suffered a "significant" ankle sprain in another blow to the club's stretched defensive stocks, while midfielder Tarryn Thomas has undergone a procedure on his groin.

Corr was hurt during the club's pre-season camp on the Gold Coast last week and while he has avoided surgery, the 29-year-old will remain in a moonboot and won't return to training until the new year.

The club said Corr would "aim to return to a modified training program in January".

North has pre-season hitouts against Collingwood (on February 21) and St Kilda (on March 3) before its season-opener against Greater Western Sydney on March 16.

The off-season departure of Ben McKay and long-term injury to Griffin Logue means Corr will be expected to play a key role in defence for the Roos in 2024, with the club adding fellow defenders Toby Pink (from the SANFL), Bigoa Nyuon (from Richmond) and Wil Dawson (in the national draft) in the off-season.

Meanwhile, Thomas underwent a procedure a fortnight ago that the club hopes will improve a groin issue.

He is expected to be back running "in the short term" although an exact timeframe on his return to full training is yet to be determined.