Defender Lachie Hansen will make his long-awaited return from injury in the VFL this weekend and says he feels "like a new recruit".

The 26-year-old, who had post-season surgery on both hips, will take the field when North’s VFL affiliates, Werribee and North Ballarat, do battle at Avalon Airport Oval this Saturday.

RELATED: Hansen player profile

Hansen said he’s itching to play for the Tigers, in a game that will mark his first competitive hit-out since round 23 last year.

"I feel like I’m 18 (years old) again, I feel like a new recruit," Hansen told NMFC.com.au on Thursday.

"I’ve had four weeks of full training and the body’s feeling the best it’s been – I’m just up and about, really."

Hansen is aiming to regain his form and fitness at VFL level in the hope of returning to North’s back six as soon as possible.

The 197cm backman said his sole focus this weekend is to play close to a full game and get through the match unscathed.

"Hopefully I can get through and push my name up for AFL (selection)," he said. 

Hansen has gradually increased his rehabilitation training program since the two bouts of hip surgery last September and October.

His typical training schedule included upper body strength training, bike riding and swimming sessions, before easing into the running component.

"I hadn’t been able to do any real football running until the past month. I’d only been able to do a lot of straight-line running," he said.

"When I first came back, I started jogging and my sessions would be 10 x 60m strides and that would be it.

"It was just a slow build-up, it felt like I was going nowhere for a while."

In recent weeks, coach Brad Scott said Hansen’s lack of match conditioning had been the main reason why the 117-gamer hadn’t been named in North’s opening rounds.

Hansen said he sat down with Scott earlier this week ahead of his first competitive match of the year.

"(Scott) just wants me to go back and play the footy that I was playing the last couple of years," Hansen said.

"He’s got the confidence in me to be able to play my role.

"I’ll be going out to try and play my best footy."