North Melbourne ruck-forward Majak Daw admits he is under pressure to live up to his potential after the club's exodus of senior players.
The powerful big man has shown glimpses of talent in his four seasons with the Kangaroos but has struggled with injuries and inconsistent form, managing just 25 career games.
Now injury-free and hopeful of getting a full pre-season under his belt, Daw is placing high expectations on himself.
"I want to have a big impact on the team," he said on Tuesday.
"I'm 25, turning 26. I've been at the club for a long time and I think I know the expectation.
"Being able to run out four-quarter efforts ... now I don't have any injuries and I can complete a full pre-season, that's the area I'll be looking to improve."
Daw played just nine games this year but booted four goals in North Melbourne's elimination final loss to Adelaide and was rewarded with a three-year contract.
He is likely to receive more senior opportunities this season following the departure of forward stalwart Drew Petrie, who was axed by the Kangaroos on the eve of the finals alongside Brent Harvey, Nick Dal Santo and Michael Firrito.
The veteran quartet's controversial departure leaves plenty of onus on the less experienced Kangaroos to improve their performance after just scraping through to the finals this year.
"There'll be more opportunities for guys like me, Mason Wood, all these young guys that are coming through," Daw said.
"It's obviously going to be a differently-structured team but it's only four guys that have left. It's a massive loss of experience but I think we all know what the expectation is and we're a pretty competitive young group."
The Kangaroos will soon vote on a new captain to replace Andrew Swallow, with midfielder Jack Ziebell expected to take the reins.
"He's the most likely candidate and if he becomes captain, everyone will be so happy for him because he's such a young leader and he's been groomed for such a long time," Daw said.
"But we've got some really good young leaders at the club. There's a few candidates."
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