Despite having some success playing in a forward pocket and at half forward, Ben Speight says he has much bigger plans for 2012.

The South Australian made a name for himself as the super-sub in 2011 before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season. Now that he's fully recovered, he is back on track.

"Hopefully I can play more of a wing role this year as opposed to 2011. I started full training last Monday so once I get back into it properly I'll get together with the coaches and plan it out," he told kangaroos.com.au.

For Speight to carry out his intended plan of pushing further up the ground, he needs to work on areas of his game. He was candid in discussing exactly what he must improve.

"My run and carry and also using the ball with my speed. I have to work on all those things, putting them together and making sure I can do it consistently over four quarters rather than just one."

With North Melbourne so far enjoying an injury-free run heading into the first matches of 2012, there is strong opposition for the position Speight is aiming for. While this could have the potential to destabilise the environment at Aegis Park, Speight says it's not a problem because of the strong culture that exists.

"We're all mates and that's the beauty of this club; we'll try to beat each other on the field and in the gym, and then once we're off the field, we're all mates and getting each other up to make sure we've got the best 22 out there."

It's not only a position on the field where Speight shares similarities with his teammates. The unrelenting workload placed on the entire list during the pre-season is starting to reap its rewards with the intraclub match at Eureka Stadium on February 7 less than three weeks away.

"This pre-season has been massive, it feels 150-200% more than what we've been doing previously. Our legs are shot at the moment; we're all hanging out for a bit of a break that we get over the long weekend and then we'll be good to go for the intraclub and the NAB Cup games."