North Melbourne defender Sam Wright will finally return from his ankle injuries in Friday night's AFL pre-season match against Greater Western Sydney in Canberra.
Wright only managed eight games last season, not playing for North since round 11.
His absence was a significant blow for the Kangaroos as they fell away in the second half of the season.
The Kangaroos and Giants will field strong teams at Manuka Oval, with Richmond recruit Brett Deledio the biggest absentee from the GWS line-up.
Deledio will not play in round one because of a calf-muscle injury.
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Marley Williams, Mason Wood and Ben Brown are the main players missing from North's line-up.
Brown has not played in the pre-season because of knee surgery.
Captain Marc Murphy leads a group of big names recalled for Carlton's Friday match against Fremantle in Perth.
The Blues have been in the spotlight after uncompetitive performances against Melbourne and St Kilda.
They will be close to full strength, with Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson, Sam Docherty and Matthew Kreuzer also returning.
Dylan Buckley (hip) and Charlie Curnow (shoulder) were injured in last weekend's loss to the Saints.
Defender Griffin Logue, taken with the No.8 pick in last year's draft, was named for his Fremantle debut.
Tom Sheridan was recalled, while the Dockers gave a potential pointer to their key forward set-up for round one.
They have named Shane Kersten and Cam McCarthy ahead of Michael Apeness and Matt Taberner.
Veteran Nick Suban is another notable omission.
