Jed Anderson during a North Melbourne intraclub at Arden Street Oval in 2020. Picture: Getty Images

NORTH Melbourne breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday morning, with important midfielder Jed Anderson returning to training after informing the club he had complied with the AFL's COVID-19 vaccination policy.

Anderson, who was hesitant to receive his second dose of the vaccine, had completed his pre-season away from Arden Street in Darwin having failed to meet the League's cut-off date of November 26 last year.

However, having flown back to Victoria over the weekend, Anderson enjoyed his first training session with teammates on Wednesday and will now attempt to earn his place in the side's round one team to play Hawthorn on March 20.

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North Melbourne revealed on January 10 that Anderson had not yet returned to the club for pre-season training, saying he "had not yet received his second vaccination shot" due to "a poor reaction to his first COVID-19 vaccination".

The Kangaroos had been eagerly anticipating a decision on Anderson's future, with Wednesday marking exactly two weeks until the AFL's pre-season Supplemental Selection Period (SSP) deadline fell.

Ex-Melbourne defender Marty Hore has been at North Melbourne as a train-on player in the hope of winning an SSP spot, with the club now likely to hand its one remaining list vacancy to former Adelaide forward and development coach Tom Lynch.

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Anderson, 28, has proved a key cog in the Kangaroos' midfield in recent years and has played 75 games for the club since moving from Hawthorn ahead of the 2016 campaign. He is contracted through until the end of 2022.

Two players have retired after failing to comply with the AFL's vaccination policy, including Carlton's Liam Jones and Brisbane's Cam Ellis-Yolmen, with West Coast still waiting to be informed on Jack Darling's future.