Luke Davies-Uniacke is on track to return to AFL action after North Melbourne's Round 15 bye.
Davies-Uniacke, 24, has not played since suffering a hamstring strain against Port Adelaide in Round 9.
North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said the club would play it safe with its midfield star.
"Luke has had a really strong week where we have officially cleared his speed and strength metrics," White said.
"The club will take a proactive approach of returning to game play after the bye in order to set Luke up with the greatest platform to finish the season off in strong fashion, given his interruptions across the first half of the year."
Engine room pair Jy Simpkin and Hugh Greenwood are available for selection for Sunday's match against the Western Bulldogs after recovering from head knocks suffered during the Round 12 game against Essendon, White said. Both have completed the AFL's mandatory concussion protocols.
Young defender Josh Goater is also closing on a return after making positive strides in his recovery from a knee injury, and is likely to be available for selection after the bye.
"Josh put in a huge session across the weekend and is now back moving freely," White said.
"He has cleared markers from [the knee] perspective with the focus now on re-loading sprint work across the next two weeks as soft tissue protection."
Key defender Aiden Bonar is expected to miss 4-5 weeks after undergoing minor surgery to clear cartilage damage in his injured knee.
Meanwhile, soreness around Charlie Comben's ankle has slowed the key forward's recovery, White said. Comben is likely to miss six weeks.
