Key Roo in doubt for finals
Lachlan Hansen is in doubt for North Melbourne's elimination final next Saturday night.
But North Melbourne coach Brad Scott said that Nathan Grima should be available to take on the Bombers despite suffering a corked left quad in the second quarter of the Roos' 30-point win over Melbourne on Saturday night.
Hansen returned against the Demons after three weeks on the sidelines with a hip injury, but after a bright start he was substituted out of the game at half-time.
Scott was not sure after the game whether Hansen's hip condition had been aggravated by an off-field knock against the Demons, saying the Roos had decided to take no risks when the key defender pulled up "a bit sore" at half-time.
"I would say he's in doubt (for the elimination final)," Scott said of Hansen.
"It's something that he's managed throughout the year.
"He started the game really well, so we'll just see how he pulls up. It's just really hard to comment other than to say that."
Grima played out the game, but his left thigh was heavily strapped and he was struggling to run late in the last quarter.
But Scott was adamant the key defender would be fit to line up against Essendon.
"He's just got a corkie in his quad, but he's fine," Scott said.
"We were going to play with 17 in the last 15 minutes if we had to, but he was a little bit ginger.
"But it's just a knock, he'll be fine."
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Scott admitted he had been frustrated with one of North's club doctors over his handling of Adams' removal from the game.
The doctor requested that the club be given 20 minutes to assess Adams for concussion when he came from the ground midway through the third quarter after landing heavily in a marking contest.
But clubs are only able to do this when their substitute has yet to be activated and North's substitute against the Demons, Nick Dal Santo, had already come on for Hansen at the start of the third quarter.
Scott could be seen venting his annoyance to the doctor as he made his way out to North's three-quarter time huddle.
"Some staff members copped it, (the doctor) could have been one of them," Scott said.
"They don't know the rules of the game, but I'll talk to him in private."
The Roos will regain the four players they rested from Saturday night's game – Todd Goldstein, Lindsay Thomas, Luke McDonald and Michael Firrito – for the Bombers clash, while Levi Greenwood (calf) is also expected to be available.
Scott said his team was in the best shape it had been all year and was far better prepared for the finals than it had been ahead of its last finals series in 2012, when it bowed out to West Coast by 96 points in an elimination final at Patersons Stadium.
"I think we're in better shape than we've been all year and we've been working towards that over the last month," Scott said.
"So the guys that we left out will be cherry ripe and the guys who came in, some of them are going to give us real selection headaches.
"We're primed and ready to go.
"So we'll play a side full of really fit, fresh players who are more resilient, more hardened and ready for what's coming."