North Melbourne will be sweating on the outcome of George Wardlaw's suspected hamstring injury during the loss to Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Wardlaw came from the ground at the Adelaide Oval midway through the final term after applying pressure to Power defender Darcy Byrne-Jones, immediately clutching his left hamstring.
“We're not sure; he went off with a hamstring, so we'll get that assessed during the week,” Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said.
It is yet another chapter in Wardlaw's wretched run of soft-tissue injuries, while concussion has also played a part in his absence since he was drafted in 2023.
North Melbourne laments outside the top 10, recording an 8-8 win-loss record.
The Kangaroos are pushing to a return to the finals for the first time since 2016, and have crucial clashes against Melbourne and St Kilda in the next fortnight before a tough month to finish the season.
"Our season's still alive," Clarkson said. "There's a logjam of teams around the middle of the ladder.
"I'm sure Port would have been a little bit twitchy at three-quarter time.
"But to their credit, they got the whips cracking in the last quarter and got the ascendancy."
The loss also keeps North Melbourne winless at Adelaide Oval after 15 attempts
