North Melbourne star Shaun Higgins is on track to make his AFL return from concussion, but the veteran is still waiting for the green light to play Sydney.
The 30-year-old was knocked out in a sickening collision with Hawthorn's Ryan Burton in round five, just hours after his wife had given birth to their first child.
He spent the night in hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair damage to his lip, and missed last week's loss to Port Adelaide.
"We're hopeful, he's a good chance I think, but we'll probably give him right up until the last minute," coach Brad Scott said on Wednesday of his selection prospects.
"This process is probably longer than most people understand - it's not just a simple yes or no.
"Even though he passed all of his tests at the end of last week, it's still a day-by-day process to see how he recovers from training and physical exertion."
Taylor Garner, Sam Wright and Mason Wood are in the mix to take on the Swans, who are riding high after their against-the-odds win over Geelong at Kardinia Park.
Stars Lance Franklin and Dan Hannebery missed that clash and will be absent again on Saturday night against the Kangaroos.
"That didn't seem to affect them too much last week," Scott remarked of the missing stars.
Jarrad Waite has been a key to North's unexpectedly bright start to the season, the veteran forward kicking three goals in each of his side's past four games.
The 35-year-old has broken down midway through the past two seasons, but it doesn't appear he's ready for a rest just yet.
"We do a hell of a lot of work on monitoring him and making sure that, if there's anything flagging, that we rest him," Scott said.
"And we'll look after him at training as well, but there's been some direct impact injuries as well and you can never really prepare for them."
