DEAN Laidley was pleased by the performance of his younger players but disappointed to add another to a growing injury list, after North Melbourne scraped its way to a six-point win over West Coast on the Gold Coast.

With Lachlan Hansen, Andrew Swallow and Jesse Smith already sidelined, the Kangaroos are now likely to be without Alan Obst for an extended period after the first-gamer punctured a lung.

“I was really pleased with a lot of our younger guys, especially after we lost Obst in the first quarter,” Laidley said.

“We played most of the game with 21 men and I was really pleased with (Matt) Riggio and (Ed) Lower through the midfield and Scotty McMahon, who we had to send to the backline.

“I thought after half time we started to win our share of the contested ball and also to use it better in the conditions.”

While the rain stayed away during the game, the slippery conditions probably suited the Eagles, who did everything they could to all but pinch a second win of the season.

Laidley said he wasn’t surprised by West Coast’s ability to stay in the contest and press his side throughout the four quarters.

“If you look at their form, it’s actually not too bad,” Laidley said.

“I know they haven’t got the wins on the board but the club was stung after its last performance. And I had no doubt watching their players in the media that they were going to come to play tonight.

“They caught us on the hop in that second half of the second quarter.”

The match was attended by 6354 fans, with support seemingly split evenly between the Roos and the Eagles.

While some pre-match conjecture focused on North Melbourne’s decision not to permanently relocate to the Gold Coast, Laidley said potential crowd reaction was far from the minds of both himself and his players.

“We didn’t talk about crowd (before the game). What we did talk about was the support we’d have back home - the members and supporters and family and friends,” Laidley said.

“We couldn’t have cared less if there was no one here. We would have still made sure we played well and did what we needed to do.”