NORTH Melbourne midfielder Jack Ziebell will continue to work on techniques to avoid serious injury after suffering concussion against Richmond in Saturday's NAB Challenge match.
The Kangaroos are confident the vice-captain will be available to face Adelaide in round one, with 15 days to recover from the heavy knock to the head which saw him taken off Etihad Stadium on a stretcher.
Ziebell was concussed when he attempted to tackle Richmond defender Alex Rance, with his head taking impact for a second time when he hit the turf.
After waving to the crowd on his way off, the courageous midfielder returned to the bench in the second half and coach Brad Scott said he was in good spirits and talking to teammates post-match.
While being careful not to strip away any of Ziebell's instinct, Scott said the Kangaroos needed to work with the 24-year-old on ways he could avoid serious injury.
"I've spoken to him about it, and certainly some of the positions he gets himself into, not just with his head … he's had two broken legs and a shoulder reconstruction," Scott said after the Kangaroos' impressive 14-point win.
"We've trained certain things so he gets himself into better positions.
"Mostly for him it's about instinct – he's just an incredibly courageous, hard-at-the-ball type player.
"I'd never want to do anything to take that part of his game away, but we'll just work on techniques to enable him to protect himself a bit better."
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Ziebell also jarred his shoulder in a tackle during the first half, but Scott said he had been cleared of any injury and was fine to return to the ground before he was concussed.
Injury aside, the coach was pleased with his team's final tune-up ahead of its round one trip to Adelaide Oval, with young forward Mason Wood making strong claims for round one selection.
"We deliberately left Jarrad Waite out this week to have another look at Mason Wood and he didn't disappoint us," Scott said of the 21-year-old, who kicked two goals, including an outstanding left-foot snap in the first quarter.
"Waite comes back in so someone's got to miss. But we're going to have a good problem at match committee."
The coach was also encouraged by the form of recruit Shaun Higgins, who ran hard in a half-forward role and finished with three goals, including a nine-point effort.
"I just think he's a better forward than he is a defender personally," Scott said.
"I know he can play defence, we'll play him more through the midfield at different stages as well.
"One of the attractions with Shaun is his flexibility. We know he can play in all zones, and he'll play where the team needs him."
Shaun Higgins is a $430,000 defender/forward in NAB AFL Fantasy this year. Set up a live draft and take on your mates in Fantasy Elite now
