North Melbourne captain co-captain Jy Simpkin could play this week but will be sidelined until after the bye

The need to find a win for the winless Kangaroos won’t override the focus on health with co-captain Jy Simpkin and first-year star Colby McKercher being rested until after the club’s bye despite being within touching distance of a return. North Melbourne rallied for two quarters against Essendon last week but ultimately succumbed to a 10th loss for the season and this week take on a Port Adelaide outfit buoyed by a literal last-second win over Hawthorn last Sunday. Simpkin hasn’t played since round 9 due to a quad complaint and rising star McKercher was ruled out of the loss to the Bombers with a foot injury and coach Alastair Clarkson conceded both “could probably play this week”. But with a bye to follow the clash against Port, the dire predicament at the Kangaroos wasn’t enough for Clarkson to call on the duo adamant he saw enough spark against the Bombers to suggest a win “not be too far away” and the injured duo would be more help in three weeks time. “Both guys could probably play this week but it’s not worth taking the risk that could impact their second half of the year,” he said on Thursday. “Whether it’s the right way or not, I’m not sure, but we’ve chosen to try and get them right for the footy after the bye.” There’s been little to get excited about the Kangaroos this season who have lost by an average of 51.4 points and went down by 40 against the Bombers despite being within a goal at halftime. But Clarkson said there were positives to draw from that loss and said the “morale” remained high at the club amid the horror run. “We can’t question it, their willingness to come into the club to try to get better,” the four-time premiership coach said. “Nothing has dropped off in terms of their training ... the culture of the place is strong and the morale is great.” Clarkson said the ability to find “synergy” in the line-up had been impacted by a high turnover of players, through injury and selection, creating a week to week battle. “Us and Richmond are the two teams which have used the most players this season,” he said. “Some of it is through injury, some of it through spinning the magnets to find the best balance. “Because you are not winning, you churn a little bit trying to find the right players who might get the mix right for you. All sides in the bottom half of the ladder are going through that process. “At some point in time that will turn in to a little bit of luck for us and we’ll have a win.”