NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott has given his strongest indication yet that veteran spearhead Drew Petrie will take his place in the elimination against Adelaide on Saturday night.
With fellow key forward Jarrad Waite expected to return from injury against the Crows, North will almost certainly have to omit another tall from its attack, with Petrie and Majak Daw appearing the two most vulnerable.
Petrie, 33, has struggled to consistently perform at his usual high standard this year.
In the Roos' round 23 loss to Greater Western Sydney, Petrie was held goalless and had just four touches, later admitting he felt mentally drained after being told earlier that week 2016 would be his last season at Arden Street.
Scott told reporters on Tuesday he was confident Petrie was now in the right headspace for Saturday night's game at the Adelaide Oval, and strongly suggested he would take his usual spot in the Roos' forward line for what could be his last game.
"Drew's a quality finals performer, so he's done the job for us in big games before," Scott said.
"Other players look to him. When we've needed something in a big game he's stood up to play. His history tells you that he's a really important player for us."
Scott conceded it would be "disappointing" for Daw if he had to make way for Waite after playing five of the final six home and away rounds.
But the Roos coach said the club's focus had to be on selecting the best team to take on the Crows.
"[Majak] has proven he's going to be a really exciting player for us, not just now but into the future, but it's an elimination final so we do what we need to do in the short-term to get the job done," Scott said.
"That won't necessarily count against him, but I think he's shown this year what a bright future he's got at his club."
North has had a string of long-term injuries since round six that have been a factor in its disappointing 3-10 finish to the season.
This week the players most likely to return are Waite, who has been sidelined with a hip injury for all bar two games since round 12, and key defender Scott Thompson, who has missed two of the past three games with an adductor strain.
Both will need to prove their fitness over North's final three training sessions this week, but Scott is confident they will.
"I think they'll both be available for selection," Scott said, "so we've got really good options there in terms of the guys that can come back in.
"But they're going to be big decisions and it's far too early in the week to make a definitive call either way."
Scott said North also hadn't "written off" other players bidding to return from injury such as Ben Jacobs (foot), Sam Wright (ankle) and Mason Wood (knee).
"Mason did a fair volume of running yesterday, the other guys are at various stages of their recovery. We've just stressed the importance of pushing right to the line," Scott said.
"If their rehab means that they're going to be ready in one, two, four weeks, then they go their absolute hardest at trying to be ready for that."
Scott was confident his team was "really up for the challenge" of playing the Crows at their Adelaide Oval fortress, saying North's training session on Monday had been "sharp".
The Roos coach also believed North's finals experience over the past two years, which included an away finals win against the Sydney Swans last season, would hold it in good stead on Saturday night.
"We've been in this exact position before. We've won finals from sixth and eighth position and we've won finals interstate, so there's a quiet level of comfort within our group that we can reproduce our best footy," he said.
