Midfielder Colby McKercher and defensive duo Aidan Corr and Luke McDonald are among the senior Kangaroos set to return in a VFL practice game against Geelong at Arden St Oval on Saturday. 

The trio are among several AFL-listed players who will play managed minutes as they target the Roos' season opener against Port Adelaide next Sunday.

Also set to feature against the Cats in Saturday's hitout are Brayden George, Josh Goater, Cooper Harvey, Bailey Scott, Callum Coleman-Jones and Charlie Spargo. 

VFL practice match

North Melbourne v Geelong
📅 Saturday, March 7, 2026
📍Arden St Oval
🕛 12pm AEDT

Squad

4 Aidan Corr, 8 Bailey Scott, 10 Colby McKercher, 11 Luke McDonald, 13 Charlie Spargo, 21 Callum Coleman-Jones, 31 Josh Goater, 33 Brayden George, 37 Cooper Harvey, 52 Xavier Bamert, 53 James Tarrant, 54 Hamish Pearce, 55 Isaiah Markovsky, 57 Alex Noblet, 59 McLaren Spiteri, 61 Sam Linder, 63 Tyson Scoble, 64 Ryan Commandeur, 65 Mitch Grumley, 66 Will Lambert, 68 Oscar Van Dam, 69 Felix Kneipp, 73 Hugh Byrne, 75 Patrick Fairlie, 76 Oliver Lowe

2026 VFL list locked in 

Ahead of the practice game, North Melbourne has confirmed its list for the 2026 VFL season.

Experienced players Darcy Macpherson and Adam Tomlinson remain in the squad and are joined by former Northern Bullants star duo Patrick Fairlie and Jean-Luc Velissaris.

Classy midfielder Thomson Dow has signed on as a Kangaroo following 45 games in the AFL for Richmond, while Lachlan Gollant, who also has experience at the highest level, has made his way from Williamstown to Arden Street.

Oliver Lowe, James Tarrant, and reigning VFL Best Clubman Matthew Keast will all return for another season after being key contributors in the blue and white stripes in 2025.

Isaiah Markovsky, who has had eye-catching stints during a handful of North Melbourne's senior training match sims, has crossed over from Collingwood's VFL program.

Markovsky headlines the squad's crop of young guns along with Oscar Van Dam and Tyson Scoble who both featured for the Roos last year.

Under new head coach Adam Marcon, North Melbourne will kick-off its season on Saturday, March 28 with a trip to Tullamarine to face Essendon in Round 2, with a bye scheduled in Round 1.

2026 VFL playing list

Will Lambert, Thomson Dow, Darcy Macpherson, Patrick Fairlie, Hamish Bird, Jean-Luc Velissaris, Ryan Commandeur, Lachlan Gollant, Alex Noblet, Xavier Bamert, Hamish Pearce, Isaiah Markovsky, Mitch Grumley, Gus Papal, Felix Kneipp, Kieran Rice, Matthew Keast, Andrew Barker, David Brinker-Ritchie, Sam Linder, Charlie Bolmat, Alfie Lambert, Oliver Lowe, Hugh Byrne, Oscar Van Dam, Ned La Motte, McLaren Spiteri, Tyson Scoble, James Tarrant, Adam Tomlinson

New: Dow, Fairlie, Bird, Velissaris, Commandeur, Gollant, Bamert, Pearce, Markovsky, Grumley, Papal, Kneipp, Rice, Barker, Brinker-Ritchie, Bolmat, A Lambert, La Motte