Key defender Griffin Logue's return has been slightly delayed due to a minor hamstring complaint.

Logue has been tracking well with his knee rehabilitation, but the significant workload led to a minor strain for the backman.

"He is currently recovering from that (strain), but it will delay his return to play slightly with some testing and end-stage work still to complete for his knee once his hamstring has settled," North Melbourne head physiotherapist Brenton Egglestone told NMFC Media.

In his first AFL game of the season, Jackson Archer suffered a sprained ankle and will need to prove his fitness later in the week if he's to be included in the side that faces Gold Coast on Saturday night.

Despite suffering the injury in the opening quarter at Marvel Stadium, the young defender ran out the rest of the contest.

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"Jackson pulled up sore and scans confirmed some ligament damage to the outside of his ankle," Egglestone said.

"He's been recovering well over the last couple of days and will be looked after to allow the ankle to settle before testing it later in the week for his availability."

Fellow defender Kallan Dawson remains 2-3 weeks away from a return, but is progressing well with his ankle rehab, while Brayden George now has a timeframe for his comeback from a dislocated shoulder, also set at approximately 2-3 weeks.

"Kal is still looking to regain full strength and power in his ankle which is still lacking and will take a period to return," Egglestone said.

"We estimate his return to play to be another couple of weeks as we work on increasing these aspects so he can complete full-speed agility and team training.

"Brayden has settled well from his shoulder dislocation last week and is progressing through his strength and stability work."

Ruck Hamish Free is on the mend following the blow to the head he suffered in the Round 5 VFL bout with GWS.

It was Free's second concussion this year which has led to a more conservative approach being taken, but he's aiming to integrate into training in a week.