Daniel Cross will play his first game since starring with 45 possessions against Wodonga Raiders on April 1.

He’ll be joined by three-time Central District premiership on-baller Brayden O’Hara, ex-Richmond and St Kilda player Dean Polo and three-time Albury premiership co-captain Luke Daly.

“It’s always good to get those guys, to settle our team a little bit,” Tigers’ co-coach Shaun Daly said of his star quartet.

“It keeps us a little more composed and they’re really good leaders on the field.”

Interestingly, Cross was scheduled to do the running for Melbourne against Richmond on Monday night.

Given they often run 12 to 15 kilometres a match, Cross is likely to complete at least a half marathon in less than 24 hours.

Nuggety powerhouse Alex Goodall, who kicked five goals in the 209-point win over Corowa-Rutherglen, is unavailable due to a funeral in Sydney.

Albury is the red-hot favourite, so North’s coaching staff has called on its young group to experiment.

“Take risks, don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” co-coach Clinton Gilson said.

“We want them to take the game on and we know they’re going to make mistakes, so (co-coach) Daniel (Leslie) and I will be accountable for that.

“Take the game on and take some risks, the only way you’re going to learn is if they make mistakes and get better from it.”

As expected, North lost last year’s best and fairest Dom Brew with VFL commitments, with Callum Langlands one of four inclusions.

“He probably would have started round one, but he decided to concentrate on his cricket, so we basically didn’t see him until the first week of March,” Gilson said.

“He only trained for three weeks and then played a couple of practice games, but his last two games in the reserves have been really good.

“He just gets himself in the right spots and his decision making is really good and he’s a good user of the footy.”

Langlands is expected to start on the half-forward line.

North is coming off a gritty 11-point loss to Myrtleford which, given the Saints’ stunning win over grand finalists Lavington, is a strong form line.

But the loss of Brew’s grunt robs the team against Albury’s boom midfield.

The Hoppers have received good news though with the explosive Shaun Mannagh set to play his third game, free of Richmond VFL commitments.

Thirty-four-year-old Leslie was also sensational against the Saints, crashing into packs and marking strongly.

The senior football starts at 2.10pm, with the A grade netball from 4.30 at Albury Sportsground.