North Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell has returned from isolation in better condition than he was heading into the season-opener where he injured his right knee, coach Rhyce Shaw has declared.
Ziebell suffered a high-grade medial ligament strain (watch in the player above) in the two-point win over St Kilda on March 22, and was set to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks.
Now, with one session under his belt on Tuesday, Ziebell appears in stronger shape than he was approaching round one after a summer cruelled by calf troubles.
"I think he's in a better position than he was going into round one," Shaw said on Wednesday.
"He had an interrupted pre-season, he's had the chance to rehab his knee and has been running for 4-5 weeks which is a little longer than he had going into round one.
"I'm really pleased with where he's at. He trained fully yesterday and trained really well."
Ziebell re-joined teammates in groups of eight for a skills session on Wednesday morning and will be continue his heavy running load on Friday.
Third-year midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke is progressing after his pre-season groin setback, but no timeline is in place for his playing return.
Meanwhile, Kayne Turner remains in the rehab group after a pre-season toe injury, but is on track for a June or July return after opting not to undergo surgery.
