North Melbourne remain confident young star Harry Sheezel will face the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night, while fellow emerging Roo George Wardlaw and veteran Jack Darling are set for a stint on the sidelines.
Sheezel has been dealing with a shoulder concern since Saturday's loss to Hawthorn, having pulled up sore to place him in some doubt for Round 17.
The Kangaroos have revealed they expect Sheezel to train fully this week and face the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.
Wardlaw has entered concussion protocols after a collision with Hawk Conor Nash and will miss this week's action.
Wardlaw's return timeframe remains uncertain, with his recovery timeline depending on his recovery over the next 12 days.
"His rehab will be guided by club doctors and will progress through the stages of the protocol safely," North Melbourne head physiotherapist Brenton Egglestone said in a club update.
Darling has sustained a groin injury and will miss at least one game, potentially two, after he picked up a concern of his own from the weekend.
"We will assess Jack throughout the week, and he'll likely be available for the Round 18 match against Melbourne," Egglestone said.
Senior pair Luke Parker (soreness) and Luke McDonald (shoulder) are both listed tests for Thursday night, joining ย Charlie Comben (shoulder), Jackson Archer (hamstring), Eddie Ford (foot) and Josh Goater (quad) in needing to get through training.
North Melbourne will confirm their side for Round 17 on Wednesday night at 6:20pm (AEST), with final teams to be revealed an hour prior to the 7:30pm bounce on Thursday.
