North Melbourne's Ben Jacobs and Sam Wright are in a race against the clock to prove their fitness ahead of the finals.

Director of Football Geoff Walsh said while the duo had played in the VFL in recent weeks, setbacks had hampered their respective returns.

"For Ben, his foot surgery was deemed a success but after playing a game in the VFL a few weeks back, he reported some ongoing soreness," Walsh explained.

"The surgeon is happy with the healing, but we obviously had to back him off with some pain preventing him from doing the necessary training."

Walsh said the circumstances were similar for Wright who is recovering from ankle surgery.

"Sam also played a game in the VFL and pulled up a bit sore afterwards which prevented him from playing back-to-back games.

"With both players, it will be a situation where we'll have to monitor them closely before making any decisions on when they might be available to play again. It's a wait and see."

Walsh also confirmed Scott Thompson has aggravated his adductor.

"Scott was symptom free going into the match and was passed fit, but unfortunately strained his groin early against the Swans.

"He'll miss this week but we have some time to prepare him for the finals."

Meanwhile the news was much better for defender Luke McDonald.

"Luke played out the game in the VFL and could come straight back in this week," Walsh added.

"We'll have to determine whether he'll benefit from a run in the AFL or VFL with a view to getting him back in good shape for the finals."

Shaun Higgins, Aaron Black and Farren Ray have been given the green light to play this week providing they train well enough.

Farren Ray (hamstring) – test
Shaun Higgins (knee) – test
Kayne Turner (hamstring) – test
Aaron Black (ankle) – test
Jarrad Waite (hip) – 1 weeks
Scott Thompson (adductor) – 1-2 weeks
Mason Wood (knee) – 2 weeks
Ben Jacobs (foot) - TBC
Sam Wright (ankle) - TBC
Taylor Garner (hamstring) – season

For more NMFC injury news, visit the Anytime Fitness Health Hub