NORTH Melbourne defender Luke Delaney says he won't consider the possibility of an AFL debut until he returns to full fitness.

Delaney has had a wretched run with injuries since he was recruited by North in late 2008, with a shoulder reconstruction ending his 2009 season with VFL affiliate Werribee and a broken wrist sidelining him for almost two months of this year.

The 21-year-old had surgery on his right groin soon after playing in North Ballarat's premiership side and stayed in Melbourne for extra rehab work when his teammates trained at high altitude in Utah in November.

However, he resumed training just before Christmas and should feature in North's pre-season campaign if his preparations go to plan.

It is hoped that Delaney will eventually bolster a backline that features Nathan Grima and Scott Thompson in the key positions, and should have Robbie Tarrant pushing for regular selection in 2011.

His chance could be fast-tracked by the AFL rule that allows clubs to promote one rookie-listed player after round 11 of each season, although he believes he is some way from making that his target.

"I'm sure there'll be a huge fight for it (the spot), especially from Whitey (Marcus White)," Delaney said.

"I just want to get my body right. That's probably my first focus, and then if I can get a NAB Cup or NAB Challenge game and go from there, hopefully the opportunity arises.

"Especially as they want me as a key defender, I'm probably going to be playing on the first or second-best forward in every team. You're not going to just chuck a kid on someone like Cameron Mooney, who's going to kick six goals on them.

"I've definitely got a fair bit of improvement [to make] but if I can hold my own against blokes like Narni and Scotty Thompson, I'm sure it won't take me too long."

Keeping a keen eye on his older brother's progress will be Cameron Delaney, who joined North from TAC Cup club Geelong Falcons at pick No.69 in November's NAB AFL Draft.

Deemed "about the best full-back in the land as an 18-year-old" by Adelaide recruiting manager Matt Rendell, Delaney also hit the track in mid-December after recovering from surgery on a toe joint.

Luke Delaney said he was looking forward to playing with Cameron at North Ballarat early in the season.

"It's good to have him up here and he's moved in, so it's like the old childhood days," he said.

"Dad's pretty excited [but ] he was a bit worried about him coming here and not having his own identity."