• The injury list: Your club's sidelined players
NORTH Melbourne is sweating on the fitness of skipper Andrew Swallow and the other four players injured in last Saturday night's loss to Geelong, but is growing more optimistic they will be right to take on Hawthorn.
Swallow went off in the first quarter of the Geelong loss with concussion after his head hit the ground as he was tackled by Lincoln McCarthy, while Ben Cunnington (corked quad), Nick Dal Santo (groin), Shaun Atley (ankle) and Robbie Nahas (compound finger dislocation) also finished the game under injury clouds.
Brad Scott told reporters on Tuesday morning that none of the five had been ruled out of Friday night's clash against the Hawks, but said all would have to prove their fitness before selection.
"We're more positive today than we were probably Saturday night with a few of them, but again I wish I could give you more definitive information. I'm still waiting on that information myself," Scott said.
"What I can say is a similar line to what I've been saying the last few weeks in that we've got really solid depth on our list and we've got a lot of players who have been really pushing for senior selection and have just missed their opportunity due to the form of the team and the form of others in their position.
"So we're in a position with the combination of our win-loss to this point, and also the depth on our list, that we won't have to make rash decisions to try and get guys up to play if they're not right. If they're not right we'll just bring the next player in."
North is "optimistic" Swallow will be fit to lead North against the Hawks, with Scott saying he had shown "really positive" signs of improvement by the end of the Geelong game.
"But with all the symptoms of concussion you can get immediate on-set (or) delayed concussion, so we're just going to have to wait," Scott said.
Atley was placed in a moon boot after the Cats loss, but jogged a few laps of Arden Street on Tuesday morning without any obvious discomfort.
Ruckman Todd Goldstein made his return against Geelong after one week off with a knee injury, but was below his best.
Scott said Goldstein's flat performance was a product of "a few technical factors" rather than returning too early.
"He'll be right to play this week, no problem at all. If he pulls up sore from training or anything like that then you've seen that Majak (Daw) can do the job for us, so we won't hesitate to make that call," Scott said.
After the injury toll suffered against the Cats, North withdrew several players from its VFL affiliate Werribee's clash against Richmond on Sunday, including Trent Dumont, Farren Ray and first-year forward Corey Wagner, while Daw only played a half.
Scott said North had done this to ensure it had a good squad to pick from for the Hawks clash, eliminating the need for these VFL players to play off a five-day break.
The Roos coach confirmed Wagner was a chance to debut against the Hawks, which would make him the first player to debut from North's 2014 and 2015 draft groups.
"He's been ready to play for a number of weeks. If and when we need to call on him, we're confident he can do the job," Scott said.
North announced on Tuesday major sponsor Mazda has signed a new three-year agreement with the club, extending its commitment to the end of 2019, which will be its 21st year partnering the Roos.
