Both players required surgery after damaging their AC ligaments against Carlton in round four last year.
Dempsey joined in 2012 pre-season training a month before Christmas.
""Courtenay Dempsey is training exceptionally well,"" Hird told 3AW radio.
""He's been with us (on the training track) since three or four weeks before Christmas.
""Jason Winderlich has had some really good periods. We've backed him off a little bit just over the past week or so because we want to make sure he doesn't get too much knee soreness.
""His reconstruction required a little bit more surgery than Courtenay's, so we've got to be a bit more careful with him, but they'll both be fit and ready to go by round one.""
Hird said Dempsey would be ready for the first round of the NAB Cup and Winderlich was in line to be introduced in round three.
