NORTH Melbourne is hopeful vice-captain Jack Ziebell will be fit to take on Port Adelaide on Sunday after scans cleared him of serious damage to his right shoulder.
Ziebell injured his shoulder in the opening minutes of North's win over the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, when attempting to spoil Easton Wood.
The midfielder played out the game, but spent more time than usual in attack.
"Jack had scans this morning and a follow-up appointment with a specialist this afternoon," North football director Geoff Walsh told the club's website on Monday afternoon.
"The results have confirmed there's no structural damage to the shoulder, which is great news.
"It was a pretty full-on game in terms of the contact he sustained, but looking ahead we're very hopeful he'll be OK to take on Port Adelaide."
Meanwhile, Nick Dal Santo blames poor form for North Melbourne's uncharacteristic low-scoring start to 2014, dismissing suggestions the Roos are struggling to adapt to a new game plan.
North was the third highest scoring team in 2012 and 2013, averaging 107 and 105 points a game in those home and away seasons.
The Roos understandably went into last pre-season with a strong focus on improving their defence after lapses hurt them in a number of narrow losses last season.
Having scored freely in 2013, the Kangaroos have opened 2014 far more slowly, scoring 60 points in their 39-point loss to Essendon in round one and 83 points in their 29-point win over the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.
North scored less than 83 points in just three games last year and topped 100 points in 13 of their 22 games.
But Dal Santo, who joined the Roos as a free agent last October, said North's game plan had not changed dramatically this season.
"We don't have a huge difference in our game plan I wouldn't have thought," Dal Santo said on Monday at the launch of the Victorian NAB AFL Auskick season at Arden Street.
"Obviously I've come in as the new guy and have tried to fit in with the program that they've had here for multiple years.
"I just don't think we've played very good football. I thought on the weekend we were a lot better, we did a lot of things the way we want to go about it.
"But we've got a lot of work to do in saying that."
Dal Santo said the Roos could still improve "a lot" but was relieved to be part of his first win at Arden Street.
"It was a lot better yesterday, particularly after having nine days to think about the poor performance in round one," Dal Santo said.
"It was probably not a pretty game (against the Bulldogs) and I don't think a lot of people would have enjoyed the spectacle, but it was a great competitive game and it was nice to get over the line.
"It's a lot nicer coming in on a Monday not worrying about whether you're going to get yelled at, or what it all means.
"But in saying that it is only one week and we're two weeks into a long year and Port Adelaide have been in pretty good form, so we've got our work cut out for us again (this Sunday)."
