Former captain Emma Kearney and newcomer Eilish Sheerin are among the stars on the sidelines as the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos step up their AFLW pre-season.

Kearney, who this month stepped down after six years as the club's skipper, is targeting an early-season return after suffering a calf strain in the Kangaroos' build up to Round 1.

North Melbourne senior AFLW physiotherapist Billy Williams confirmed Kearney won't take part in the club's pre-season practice matches, which begin with Friday night's match simulation against the Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval.

"We are going to take our time with this to look to get it right, so she can return to footy with full confidence," Williams said.

Sheerin, a high-profile trade arrival from Richmond in the off-season, will also miss Friday night's hitout after her knee was caught awkwardly in a contest during a training drill.

Scans cleared the experienced midfielder of any structural injury but revealed some bruising around the knee. 

“(Eilish) won't play against the Bulldogs," Williams said. "We expect her to return the following week against Essendon."

Ruck Emma King faces a 3-4 week recovery after suffering a hamstring strain, but is progressing well in her recovery, Williams said.

"She has been increasing her running loads well over the last week. Given the nature of the strain, she also won't play our practice matches and will look to be available early in the season."

All-Australian forward Alice O'Loughlin is battling a thigh complaint but is on track for the Kangaroos' Round 1 match against Geelong on Saturday, August 16 at GMHBA Stadium. 

"Alice was having an excellent preseason and training really well, before she started experiencing some thigh discomfort a few weeks back," Williams said.

"Scans came back without any serious findings but she did require a short off-load period. She is back running and will integrate into training this week.

"She also won't play our practice matches but we're confident she will be fine for Round 1."

In further news, defender Sarah Wright is currently spending time away from the AFLW program as she takes a period of leave for personal reasons.