With the fixture locked in, Rhyce Shaw says he couldn’t be more excited for the upcoming season.

The Roos’ will look to hit the ground running with four of their five first rounds at home, including one at Blundstone Arena.

VIEW THE FIXTURE HERE.

“Right now, it can’t come quick enough. That’s going to be really really important,” Shaw told North Media.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to set up and start the season on a good note.  

“We get to play here [Melbourne] 3 out of the first 5 games and we get to play at our second home [Tasmania] once.

“From my point of view in terms of the stadiums and where we play, I’m really pleased ... I think it’s a really good looking fixture football-wise.

“But it’s only a good thing if you take advantage of it.”

With the evenness of the competition, Shaw said North won’t be taking any team lightly.

“The competition is so even it’s going to be hard at any stage,” he said

“We’ve seen teams pop up from nowhere before so it’s hard to tell at the moment, but I think we’ll be confident going in no matter what.

“We’ve got to make the most of it. All the help we can get from our members and fans to make a real home ground advantage would be beneficial.

“I know our supporters will turn out because it’s what we do at North Melbourne and I’m looking forward to our first game because of that.”

For the first time since 2010, North will play three games at the MCG.

“Any exposure you can get to the MCG is invaluable. It’s so important for us to have the opportunity to play the good teams on that ground, it’s really beneficial for us,” Shaw added.

The first-to-four year players returned to training on Monday, with the remainder of the squad commencing on Monday, November 18.