NORTH Melbourne forward Lindsay Thomas may have avoided suspension for a crude tackle if the media didn't focus so much on the incident, says Kangaroos forward Drew Petrie.

Thomas will miss Sunday afternoon's game against St Kilda after a high hit on Western Bulldog Lachie Hunter in the final quarter of North's 16-point win. The small forward made contact to Hunter's head.

"There's been a bit of trial by media," Petrie said at the club on Tuesday.

"On the night, it looked a high tackle. It was given a free kick, and it was dealt with there and then. I thought 'that's all there is to that'.

"I didn't think it would get this far, but I feel the way it's been reported gave it a bit of momentum.

Hunter's teammate Marcus Bontempelli said the next day the hit had "quite a bit of malice in it".

Bontempelli made those comments on Fox Sports, before the Match Review Panel handed down its verdict.

Petrie said Bontempelli's comments would not have been significant if not for reporting by the press.

"I've seen snippets of what was said (by Bontempelli), but (the media) has to go and print it," Petrie said.

"He said what he said, but if you guys then don't blow it up, then no-one really listens to it."

Petrie will play his 300th game against the Saints at Etihad Stadium. The team will wear a special jumper for the clash, with '3dp' on the front.

An All Australian in 2011, Petrie is just the fifth Kangaroo to reach the milestone, behind Wayne Schimmelbusch, Glenn Archer, Adam Simpson and Brent Harvey.

He has never played in a Grand Final, but was involved in losing preliminary finals in 2007, 2014 and 2015.

The 33-year-old said he does not want his career to end just yet.

Lachie Hunter was taken to hospital after this clash with Lindsay Thomas Friday night. https://t.co/CGAAd40ARNhttps://t.co/jr9OdMGVPg — AFL (@AFL) May 2, 2016

"I'd like to still be playing footy at 34. Just got to make sure I hold up my end of the bargain," he said.

Some key forwards struggle later in their career as they falter physically but Petrie said he had not faced that issue.

"I feel fine. There are no injuries lingering and no weak spots in my body," he said.

"It's just a matter of making sure I perform a little bit better.

"I've been contributing, but I haven't been setting the world on fire. But when you're playing in a winning side, you're just happy to do your little part."

Reaching the ultimate success is his prime motivation, and he says the club is on track to achieve that goal.

"Playing in a premiership is what drives me," he said.

"The potential is there with this group."

He pointed to this era of players as being consistently able to push deep into finals as a sign of North's ability.

"(Performance-wise) it's the best team I've played in, and the best group of players I've played with," he said.

"This is the most consistent side, with the most potential to take this group somewhere pretty special."