North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley has declared veteran forward Nathan Thompson a certain starter for Saturday's crucial clash with Hawthorn after a speedy recovery from knee surgery.
Thompson will be taking the field just nine days after a tidy-up operation prompted by soreness in the knee that was reconstructed early in 2007.
"There was just one little point where they got in behind the knee and took out," Laidley said at Arden Street on Friday.
"He ran last Sunday, saw the surgeon on Monday, got the all-clear, trained Tuesday and had his fitness test last night."
"We didn't want to leave it 'til today because we play tomorrow and we wanted to give him 24 hours."
"He's ticked all those boxes and pulled up well this morning, so there's no reason why he won't play."
North's forward line looks stronger, on paper at least, for the addition of Thompson, Corey Jones - who's been down on form generally this season and who's missed the past two matches because of his chronic foot/ankle issues - and Shannon Grant, who was 'rested' for last week's trip to take on Fremantle at Subiaco.
Laidley said his expectations of Jones and Grant are simply that they play their roles.
"We don't ask them to go out and kick five or six goals each, we don’t ask them to get 30-odd possessions, but if they can win their own ball, they can put some pressure on, they can play a selfless brand of football, that's all we can ask," he said.
"(Jones) hasn’t reached the heights or the consistency of what we would have liked, but it's no good whacking him over the head and trying to draw blood out of a stone - it’s small steps forward."
"We're a much better side when Corey Jones is up and about … but we'll keep supporting him and making sure we can get him right, physically and mentally because these things do take an effect on the person."
Quizzed whether making six changes this week may have been over the top, Laidley said he could have made several more.
"(Matt) Riggio and (Ed) Lower probably weren't that flash interstate last week but we thought their form in the previous month was pretty good and they're our future and we want to go with them," Laidley said.
"Some of the younger guys went out but we brought (Lachlan) Hansen back in which I think is very good for the footy club."
Laidley said Josh Gibson was likely to get first crack at Hawthorn's mercurial forward Lance Franklin, but that Shannon Watt and Michael Firrito would most likely have their turns on the competition's leading goalscorer.
"He averages eight or nine shots on goal. You've just got to hope that he kicks two goals seven rather than seven goals two," said Laidley.