JESSE Smith’s return to senior football looks at least another week away as North Melbourne suffered three injury blows in VFL football at the weekend.

Smith, on the comeback trail from what the club had listed as “general soreness”, was the biggest-name Kangaroo to join the casualty list after succumbing to a hamstring niggle.

While teammates Andrew Swallow and Lachlan Hansen were also injured, North Melbourne football manager Donald McDonald said the trio was unlikely to be out for a prolonged period.

“None of them are long-term injuries,” McDonald said.

“They’re all just a matter of getting them assessed. They’ll probably all be doubtful this week, but at this stage but we’ll just have to wait and see how they are on Monday.”

Smith, the highly-talented defender with the ability to play through the middle, has endured an injury-ravaged time since arriving at Arden Street.

The good news for the 21-year-old is that his ankles appear free of trouble, with a hamstring causing concern early in North Ballarat’s 49-point win over Tasmania.

“He just pulled up sore, but we don’t know how severe it is at the moment,” McDonald said.

“He came back from a hamstring, and he felt some tightness more or less right at the start of the game, so we just took him straight off.”

Swallow will be assessed for a leg injury, while Hansen, the No.3 pick in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, suffered a knee injury playing for North’s other VFL affiliate team, the Werribee Tigers

Swallow played the opening three rounds of the season while Smith, who has battled to overcome serious ankle injuries, played his first match of the season in round four.

Hansen played in last year’s semi-final win over Hawthorn but is yet to play a senior match in 2008.

There was better news for Richmond however, with Jack Dyer medallist Mark Coughlan making a successful return to senior football after almost two years out of the game.

Coughlan, the Tigers’ club champion in 2003, was part of the Coburg Tigers’ VFL win over Collingwood yesterday.

He played a little more than half the game and, although not racking up a heap of possession, showed enough to suggest a return to senior football in coming weeks might not be out of the question.

Several of Richmond’s senior-listed players were among the best, with Greg Tivendale, Graham Polak, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and Dean Polo all impressing.

Defender turned forward Joel Bowden, who booted 3.6, was also a catalyst in the 53-point victory.