NORTH Melbourne captain Adam Simpson has thrown his support behind full-forward Nathan Thompson, who remains on the fringe of selection after being omitted for the round 16 win over Collingwood.
Thompson kicked six goals for Werribee two days after the Roos beat the Magpies by 18 points, but saw no action last weekend because of the VFL's split round.
Simpson hinted on Tuesday that Thompson may earn a recall to play the Brisbane Lions at Gold Coast Stadium on Saturday night.
"If he's fresh and ready to go, he's definitely in the mix," he said. "He's a quality player and you're guaranteed a couple of goals no matter what, when he plays.
"If he's available and he's up and running, he'll play."
North Melbourne's small attack could benefit from the presence of its biggest forward against a Lions defence led by burly full-back Daniel Merrett.
Even so, there is some uncertainty about the future of the 30-year-old, who has had a reasonable return from a knee reconstruction that sidelined him for all of 2007 but is out of contract at season's end.
However, Thompson's contribution sits well with his skipper, who believes he has a lot to offer as the club continues its run to the finals.
"He's coming back from a knee reconstruction," Simpson reiterated.
"I think it takes more than one season to get back to top form. He's kicked 25 goals for the year so I reckon if we had have sat down at the start of the year to say he's played 14 or 15 games and kicked 25 goals, we'd take that.
"There's still five games to go and I'm sure he'll definitely have an impact on the club in the next five weeks."
