Shaun Higgins no certainty to take on Swans at SCG

There is no certainty Shaun Higgins will be available for North Melbourne’s important clash against the Swans in Sydney.

North Melbourne players warm up at Arden Street yesterday

There is no certainty classy midfielder Shaun Higgins will be available for North Melbourne’s important clash against the Swans in Sydney on Saturday night.

This is despite optimism earlier this week that Higgins, who was knocked unconscious in the Kangaroos’ win over Hawthorn and required plastic surgery, had fully recovered.

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott said the 30-year-old would continue to be assessed in the lead-in to the game given the uncertainty surrounding concussion.

“We will probably give him right up until the last minute,” Scott said. “The process is probably longer than most people understand.

“It’s not just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Even though he passed all his tests at the end of last week, there’s still a day-to-day ongoing process to see how he recovers from training and physical exertion.”

The seventh-placed Swans are a game clear of the Kangaroos, who held their spot in the eight despite being beaten by Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The Swans have won five of their past six games against North Melbourne, the exception a semi-final in 2015, but will be without champion spearhead Lance Franklin for another week with a bruised heel.

The absence of Franklin is not ideal, though it is worth noting he has kicked only four goals in his past three outings against the Kangaroos. And Scott noted the Swans performed admirably in Geelong without their superstar.

“It didn’t seem to affect them too much last week,” he said.

Sydney are also seeking some consistency at home. While the Swans have won all three matches on the road this year, they have fallen to both Adelaide-based clubs at the SCG.

Scott is mindful Port Adelaide were able to restrict the Kangaroos forward line last weekend, with Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown often finding himself with multiple Power defenders on him.

The North Melbourne coach said it was important for his midfielders to explore all their options heading into attack given the talent possessed by Jarrad Waite and Jack Ziebell, while Mason Wood is a chance to play his first game of the year on Saturday. But he said Brown’s excellence would ensure the Kangaroos regularly looked to him as a forward target.

Former top 10 draft pick Paul Ahern is edging closer to an AFL debut after regaining confidence in his body and match fitness following a horror run with injury.

Meanwhile, the AFL last night suspended Port Adelaide runner Chad Cornes for one week for a breach of the rules.

The league’s general manager of football operations Steve Hocking said Cornes had been banned from his role after he had sworn at North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein at close range, following an on-field collision between Goldstein and Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines near the interchange area during last week’s game.

Club runners are prohibited from any interaction with umpires or opposition players.