North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says their position atop the AFL ladder means they can take their time in deciding who to replace a number of injured players with.
Captain Andrew Swallow is one of four players in doubt to face Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium on Friday after suffering from concussion.
"We're waiting on the updates. We ruled him out pretty quickly on the night, but sometimes with the concussion it can be a little confusing because what can be significant early, you can also bounce back pretty quickly," Scott said.
"We're just going to have to wait. We're not going to be able to make a decision until later in the week."
But Scott is OK with that, as he also looks at the fitness of Nick Dal Santo (groin), Ben Cunnington (thigh), Shaun Atley (ankle) and Robbie Nahas (finger).
"We've got really solid depth on our list and we've got a lot of players who have been really pushing for senior selection who have just missed out due to the performance of the team," Scott said.
"So, we're in a position with our win-loss (position on the ladder) and the depth of our list, we won't have to make rash decisions to get guys up to play.
"If they're not right, we'll bring the next player in."
Scott is also looking ahead at a tough month against other flag contenders for the pacesetters.
"We're not making any injury excuses for our performance at the weekend (in a loss to Geelong)," he said.
"It was pretty straightforward and, while we didn't perform anywhere near our best, the things we need to work on are pretty easily fixed.
"The important thing is that we alter our training focus and our training load and our sports science team do a great job."
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