NORTH Melbourne could be without five of stars for Thursday night’s clash with Adelaide after coach Brad Scott admitted the short turnaround won’t be enough for some to prove their fitness.

Captain Andrew Swallow (concussion), Ben Cunnington (quad), Jarrad Waite (hip) and Daniel Wells (ankle) remain in doubt while young gun Luke McDonald is almost certain to be ruled out for a lengthy period after consulting a surgeon on Monday regarding his hamstring injury.

Scott — who will make a call on Wednesday on the players — said the club’s policy remains not to risk anyone who is not right to play and he won’t be straying from that on Thursday night.

“Due to the short turnaround, it’ll be a tough ask for (Swallow, Cunnington and Waite) to get up, especially with our policy right at the moment of not risking anyone who’s not 100 per cent,” he said.

“All three were pretty close to playing last Friday night, but they weren’t at that level that we need them to be.

“We’ll assess them, probably as late as Wednesday, and then make a decision. We’ve worked really hard to get off to a really good start to the year, and we’re now in a position where we need to make sure whoever represents the club is 100 per cent ready to go, and we’ve got the depth to do that.”

He admitted there is “some doubt” surrounding Wells, who not only battled an ankle problem in Friday night’s loss to Hawthorn but also has an apparent rib issue.

“We’re optimistic, but Wellsy falls into the same category as the three,” Scott said.

media_camera Andrew Swallow is in doubt to return for North Melbourne against Adelaide on Thursday night. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

The Kangaroos have been dislodged from the top of the AFL ladder and now sit third but have fallen to Sydney, Geelong and the Hawks in recent weeks — all top four sides.

But Scott rejects the notion that his side needs a “scalp” to prove themselves.

“We’ve been very open in the fact that our short-term goal is to get to 12 wins … that’s still our focus,” he said.

“Who those wins come against are largely irrelevant, because we’re just trying to first of all qualify for the right to play in September, and then to qualify in the best position we can.

“Who you beat in the lead-up to September is irrelevant — it’s who you beat in September that counts.”