North Melbourne spearhead Ben Brown says he’ll be ready for Round 1 after surgery

NORTH Melbourne forward Ben Brown says he won’t train fully until after Christmas after surgery on his hip. Will he be fit and firing for Round 1?

Ben Brown will be limited in preseason after hip surgery. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images

NORTH Melbourne forward Ben Brown won’t train fully until after Christmas but he is optimistic he will be “well and truly” ready for Round 1.

The 25-year-old recently had an arthroscope on his hip that will restrict his training for the next six to eight weeks.

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Ben Brown will be limited in preseason after hip surgery. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images

“It all went really positively,” he said.

“I’m progressing along the right way, and I think I’ll be limited in the first stages of preseason, but I’ve done that most preseasons so far so I’m not too concerned about where it’s going to leave me.

“I’ll start running over the next six weeks or so, so I’ll probably be limited up until Christmas and in January when we come back, I should be fit and firing and well and truly right by Round 1.”

Brown, who kicked 61 goals this season, said he battled the injury throughout the season but that it had reached a tipping point.

“It was something that in the initial stages I could get through the season with, and I did to a pretty good extent. It was more something that in the long-term, my body was going to suffer from not having the surgery done now as opposed to later on,” he said.

“We decided to make that move and I think it’ll be positive for me so that I can hopefully get a few more years out of my body at the other end.”

North Melbourne will kick off its JLT Community Series against St Kilda on March 2 in Werribee, where Brown played in 2013 before he was drafted, and the Tasmanian said he couldn’t wait to return to Avalon Airport Oval early next year.

“It is awesome to get back here,” he said.

“I played a lot of footy on this ground in the last few years. I really love the JLT Community Series in that you do get to go out and play games at some of the more local and community footy grounds.

“It gives you that little bit more of an atmosphere like you used to play when you were a bit younger.”

The preseason competition will be held over two weeks in March, with three new grounds in Port Pirie, Lismore and Werribee to host games.