NORTH Melbourne captain Andrew Swallow is expected to be fit to play against the Brisbane Lions this Saturday night, Roos coach Brad Scott says.

Scott also told reporters on Wednesday that forward/ruckman Ben Brown would hold his senior spot after his encouraging debut against Melbourne, while rookie Kayne Turner was getting closer to an AFL debut after his impressive form in the VFL.

Swallow's left knee became twisted in a tackle by Demon Dean Kent late in the Roos' win last Sunday, which was just the sixth match the North skipper had played since returning from a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

Scott admitted his heart had been in his mouth as he watched Swallow limp to the bench, but said his skipper had just suffered swelling around the knee.

"We'll look after him today at training but we expect him to play," Scott said.

"The way he's played over the last five years I've seen that happen pretty regularly with him and he always bounces back – that's why the Achilles was such a shock.

"So we did breathe a sigh of relief when the scans came back all clear."

Forward Majak Daw put his hand up for a senior recall with a best-on-ground performance in Werribee's nine-point win over Geelong's VFL team last Saturday.

But Scott said Brown would play against the Lions after his "terrific" debut, meaning there probably won't be room for Daw in North's attack.

"Majak was terrific in the ruck and won the game for Werribee really in the last quarter, so we'll have to consider the overall mix," Scott said.

"But the talls did well on the weekend, so it's going to be hard to change."

North will need to replace injured small forward Robin Nahas (shoulder) against the Lions.

Scott said Kieran Harper and Turner would be considered as replacements, while Taylor Garner (hamstring), who is yet to play a game at any level since North's NAB Cup loss to Hawthorn in February, would be another ideal replacement after he makes his imminent return.

But Scott suggested Harper, who has not played a senior game since round three last season, had not yet done enough at VFL level to force his way back into North's team.

"He's shown real glimpses in the VFL, but we'd like to see him put that together for a whole game before we bring him in," Scott said.

"We certainly need him and we need him back playing his best, so we'll look for a bit better form in the VFL before we bring him into the AFL side."

Scott also paid tribute to the professionalism of injured key forward Robbie Tarrant, who is facing another lengthy stint on the sidelines with a stress reaction in his tibia.

Tarrant played his first senior game this year in round 13 against the Crows, but withdrew from last Sunday's game against Melbourne and is now considering whether to have season-ending surgery.

"We talk about players like Brent Harvey who are so resilient and I often talk about his professionalism and his dedication, well, Robbie Tarrant is as professional and dedicated as just about any player I've seen, but he's had a horrible run of luck," Scott said.

"It's hard to keep giving him the message to just persist and persist and things will turn around for you because every time they seem to turn they take a turn for the worse.

"It's frustrating for him, I feel for him, the whole club is behind him and we wish him a speedy recovery."