North Melbourne will give veteran defender Scott Thompson a well-earned AFL rest after he played through the pain of a ruptured testicle.
Thompson was hurt in Saturday's loss to Brisbane when he was accidentally hit in the groin by an opponent's foot.
The backman came off the ground for about 10 minutes but managed to return and play out the game which the Kangaroos lost by two goals.
Thompson consulted a specialist on return to Melbourne and had a procedure to reduce the swelling and repair the testicle.
He has been ruled out for Saturday's clash with West Coast at Optus Stadium.
Interim coach Rhyce Shaw on Wednesday lauded Thompson's courage, saying the 33-year-old was feeling worse for wear after his procedure.
"He's actually looked like he's been riding bareback for the past four weeks on the way he walked into the club today," Shaw joked.
"I had kind of a thought overnight that it was probably pushing the friendship a little bit to try and get him up (for the Eagles game).
"The doc was saying on the bench that he was in a world of hurt (but saying) 'get me back out there'. He reckons there was no pain when he was out there but when he stopped, he was in excruciating pain.
"For him to get through was an amazing effort and it really helped us stay in the game for a long period.
"I think he deserves the week off. Knowing Scotty, he won't miss two in a row so I'm pretty sure he'll be right to train next week."
Fellow defenders Sam Wright and Ben McKay will come into selection consideration to help the Roos combat Eagles talls Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling.
Forward Taylor Garner is also a chance to return, having completed a four-week suspension imposed by the club for his involvement in a Sydney bar fight.
Shaw interviewed for the vacant full-time Kangaroos coaching role on Monday and appears increasingly certain to get the job.
But Shaw insisted his appointment was no sure thing.
"I had a chat with them on Monday and that went OK," he said.
"Now the process continues and I get onto my day job which is coach the side and look after what we can to try and beat West Coast on the weekend.
"I just said what I had to say, the guys were really good and we had a good chat and that was it really.
"I'm not confident about anything at this stage, really."
Australian Associated Press
