Medical room: Hamish McIntosh (achilles), Nathan Grima (back), Cruize Garlett (finger), Ed Lower (knee) and Aaron Black (groin) should rejoin their teammates for full training in January. Leigh Adams made a quick recovery from minor heart surgery while Drew Petrie (feet) returned for two of the main sessions just before the break.
Who's burning: The arrival of ex-West Coast forward Ben McKinley has been a spur for Aaron Edwards, who faces even stronger competition for a mid-sized forward role. Edwards' greatest improvement has come in the endurance testing, with the 26-year-old finishing in the top 12 in the club's 3.2km time trial early this month. He has also dropped 5kg from his powerful frame.
Draftee watch: It's been a throwback to his childhood for Cameron Delaney, who has moved in with older brother Luke in Footscray. Luke is three years older, but will enter a third season on North's rookie list. "He's already one up on me," he said. Cameron's initiation has been slow following surgery on a toe joint, however his teammates were quick with the nicknames 'Spare Keys' and 'Alicia Keys'. Luke has been called 'Car Keys' since losing his on his first day at the club.
Membership: North broke through 13,000 members for a pre-Christmas record, which has been cause for optimism against last year's figure of 10,368. Chief executive Eugene Arocca is confident of a result beyond 30,000 as the club increases its football department spend and looks to strengthen its presence in the Ballarat and Tasmanian markets.
After the break: North increased its skill work in its last four sessions before the Christmas break, and will make the game plan its absolute priority next month. Also on the agenda is a return to training for the five players in rehab. A time trial will kick off proceedings on January 4.
Telstra Community Camp: Regional hub Ballarat will be the destination for the third time in as many years with North likely to play another intra-club match there. Recruit Cameron Richardson will enter a popularity race with Petrie during the school and hospital visits and football clinics in their hometown from February 8 to 10.
NAB Cup opener: February 20 v Geelong Cats and Western Bulldogs at Skilled Stadium.
What they say: "We really identified that we wanted to improve our endurance as a group, and the players are running better times than they were last year. The players have all been given a program [for the break] to suit their individual needs. We want them to freshen up, but there's been a lot of momentum gained from the Utah trip and we want to keep that going." - assistant coach Brett Allison.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
