Spearhead Nick Larkey says there is a new feel to the "super hungry" Kangaroos as the club's newest crop of draftees spent their first day at the club on Friday.
The Roos' five first-round draft picks jumped straight into their first training session after meeting their teammates at Arden St, led by pick No.2 Colby McKercher and pick No.4 Zane Duursma.
"The new draftees coming in adds another layer of excitement," Larkey told reporters on Friday morning.
"There's a good feel to the club. There always is, coming back after an off-season, but this year it feels a little bit different because the boys are super hungry.
"We had testing on Monday, and it's by far the fittest I've seen the group.
"I was looking around upstairs and thinking, 'uh-oh, who am I going to run with?' because everyone was getting pretty good times for the shuttle test.
"In past years, Jy has always taken our 2km or our shuttle test by a long way. And now this year a couple of boys have beaten him, and he's also improved on his time. So, the whole cohort's moved up.
"Darcy Tucker has come back really fit. Dyl (Stephens) has won the shuttle test, but 'Tuck' is right up there. 'Sheez' (Harry Sheezel) is really fit. Lukey Davies (Uniacke) cut about 20 seconds off his time.
"It just shows the hunger the boys have had over the off-season, which is exciting."
Key position recruits Taylor Goad, Wil Dawson and rookie pick Finnbar Maley were among the draftees introduced to the team on Friday morning, alongside medium defender Riley Hardeman.
Larkey said he was delighted to see the club bolster its tall stocks, particularly given free agent Ben McKay's departure in October.
"I know [recruiters] love the mids and we've got some incredible midfield stocks now, but I was very happy to see some key position players picked up," Larkey said.
"Wil Dawson looks like a pretty dour solid, hard-nosed defender, so I'm looking forward to coming up against him in pre-season, seeing what he's about."
"We've got some versatility there and added a few good pieces to our list. They all seem like really driven blokes and I know that's what the recruiting team look for."
Larkey enjoyed his best season to date at Arden St this year, finishing runner-up in the Syd Barker Medal after kicking 71 goals – the most by any North Melbourne player since Wayne Carey in 1998.
He said the promise of improvement under coach Alastair Clarkson was behind his decision to sign a new five-year deal in June, which will see him at the club until at least the end of 2029.
"I signed on the premise that I could see improvement in the club, see some light at the end of the tunnel," he said.
"Looking at … how the boys have kept their motivation in the off-season. It's certainly really exciting seeing the progression we've made when we haven't even been able to be at the club.
"Everyone's hoping that the light at the end of the tunnel is shorter rather than further away, but we're only going to be able to [make that happen] ourselves."
