Shaun Higgins says he and his teammates are more driven than ever, with the unique challenges presented in 2020 only increasing the significance of success.

"It really was the motivating factor through the eight weeks (hiatus), to stay in the sort of condition to perform at your best and help your team win, and winning ultimately getting into finals and having a chance at a Grand Final and a premiership," the North vice-captain said on SEN.

It's been 58 days since the Roos took on St Kilda in round one, and by the time football returns, that break will be close to three months. 

Having prepared for almost six months prior to the season's commencement, it's fair to say the players are desperate to get back into it.

"I can guarantee you inside the four walls of our footy club we’ve never been more focused on getting a result this year and excited about what can take place," Higgins said.

"The 15 years I’ve been involved in (playing), no season has presented challenges like this year ... and then you combine that with the fact that we’re only just playing each other once, and in some ways it’s more even than any year I’ve been a part of."

North's players returned for training on Monday, with games set to resume in mid-June.