NORTH Melbourne forward Jed Anderson has bounced back from a thumb injury in positive fashion and has set his sights on winning a senior berth in the coming weeks. 

Anderson was among the top Roos in a VFL practice match against Williamstown on Saturday, playing a key role through the midfield. 

The 24-year-old said his time in rehab gave him the opportunity to work on improving his aerobic capacity and adding another layer to his game. 

He won plaudits for his appetite for the contest and pressuring the opposition. 

"It was really good to be back out there, and to be playing with the boys is great," Anderson told nmfc.com.au. 

"Being fairly strong over the ball, hitting the contest hard and getting on the move is what I base my game around, and it’s working out. 

"I'm getting the ball and getting it forward which is good."

Anderson had surgery on his thumb after hurting it at training the week prior to Christmas. 

"The thumb's feeling fine," Anderson said.   

"I gave it a few more extra weeks just to make sure it was all good to go. 

"I take a fair bit of confidence out of that and I can’t wait to get into next week." 

Anderson said he was in the best physical condition of his career after attending the club's high altitude training camp in Utah in late October. 

"I worked a lot on my endurance in rehab, before Christmas in Utah and then continued to build into the back-end of pre-season and I’ve been working hard in the last few weeks," Anderson said.

Anderson has played 15 of his 25 AFL games since arriving at Arden Street from Hawthorn in the 2015 NAB AFL Trade Period.

However, he is confident he is past his injury issues and hopes he can build some strong form in the VFL to push into Brad Scott's best 22. 

"I'll just keep building over the next few weeks and get the call-up whenever Scotty’s ready, but I feel as though I'm playing good footy at the moment and training well." 

Young forward Nick Larkey booted three goals, while youngster Paul Ahern (on the comeback trail from two knee reconstructions) also impressed. 

Majak Daw and Mason Wood were among the Kangaroos players to feature in the match.