Cox has earned All-Australian honours for the last four years and McIntosh could have joined him after an outstanding 2007 that saw him selected in the initial 40-man squad.
It created greater expectations for 2008, however, McIntosh ruptured his posterior cruciate ligament against Fremantle in round 12 and was sidelined for eight weeks. Admittedly underdone, he was recalled for two games but left out for the elimination final against the Sydney Swans.
"It was a frustrating year more than anything; 2008 was very inconsistent," he said. "I played a good game here and then I'd drop off the face of the earth the next game.
"When I was starting to get a bit of form back, I got injured."
The 24-year-old now has a better understanding of the importance of the summer workload after his last pre-season was hampered by general leg problems.
His fitness was obvious in North's intra-club scratch match on Thursday and with a second goal to build his strength, McIntosh says his body feels great.
"It's pretty much those two areas (fitness and strength) I wanted to improve on and I felt like I've taken advantage of that," he said, adding that he had some brief knee soreness when the pre-season started. "Hopefully it can pay off this year.
"I've been able to learn both sides of it now, experiencing a whole pre-season and having a year where you miss a lot of it. It's definitely very important. You need all of the [kilometres] and strength in your legs to get you through a long season."
Across the country, the durable Cox has impressed his coaches and opponents expect another dominant campaign.
In round eight last year, McIntosh saw first-hand the influence Cox can have on a game – 24 possessions and 31 hit-outs despite the Roos' narrow win over the Eagles.
The premiership player was central to West Coast's two victories over North in 2007.
"He's very strong and obviously very athletic and very fit so that's what you strive to get to as a ruckman," McIntosh said. "He's the benchmark, so I'm sure all of the other ruckmen at the other 15 clubs are working just as hard to get to Dean Cox's level.
"The role of the ruckman has changed a lot from 10 or 15 years ago. These days as a ruckman you can't just be able to win the hit-out, you've got to win the ball, do other things and play in different areas of the ground. You've got to have more strings to your bow."
McIntosh has also put the fact that he was made available in last year’s trade period behind him.
"I love North Melbourne and I want to stay here for the rest of my career," he said.
