Eddie Ford will need to prove his fitness in training this week after being subbed out of Sunday's game against the Hawks.

The lively forward copped a blow to his hip during the opening quarter at Marvel Stadium, which restricted his output as the game went on.

He'll face a test before Thursday night's selection for the club's Round 7 clash with Adelaide at Blundstone Arena.

Young defender Wil Dawson will also face a test, after missing last weekend's action due to a shoulder issue.

The 2023 first-round draftee sustained a solid hit to his AC joint in the VFL side's one-point win over Brisbane in Round 3, and subsequently missed the group's recent bout with Box Hill.

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"Wil reported significant soreness and lacked mobility early last week," North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White told NMFC Media.

"He's improving steadily and will put his hand up for selection if he can demonstrate good function and strength this week in training."

Closing in on a return is forward Cooper Harvey.

Harvey has been sidelined since the opening round of the VFL campaign with a syndesmosis injury and is expected to make a full return to the field next week. 

"Cooper is going great in his push to play once again following his surgery," White said.

"This week will see him return to some group training and have two high-loading football conditioning sessions to set him up for a strong return next week and beyond."

Hard-nosed onballer George Wardlaw is eyeing off a return to the senior side after being managed over the weekend.

The sophomore Roo is now refreshed and will be in the frame to face Adelaide.

"George is a player that match committee and performance team spoke about having strategic breaks placed in through the season," White said.

"This relied on loading and recovery flags that are sensitive to George’s physical health and risk of overload."

Kallan Dawson remains 2-3 weeks away after suffering ligament to his ankle during training earlier this month.

White says an exact timeframe for the defender's return remains hard to predict, due to the severity of the swelling and bruising around the foot and ankle.

"He is improving now with weight bearing and by the back end of this week, we hope to have him running once again," he said.

"From there it will depend on his ability to change direction and move into football function, but next week we should have greater clarity on his return date."