NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott has got on the front foot to defend his club from tanking accusations, declaring the Kangaroos "want to win".

Scott's men have dropped seven matches in a row and an eighth against finals-bound Melbourne – a side North has not lost to in 16 matches dating back to 2007 – would be their worst slide in 33 years.

Suspicion was raised about the Roos' intentions when Jack Ziebell (soreness) was managed last week and reigning best and fairest Robbie Tarrant (back spasms) was a late withdrawal.

Critics also pointed to the fact Scott's second-from-bottom team has ruled out Mitch Hibberd (shoulder), Ed Vickers-Willis (PCL), Ben Jacobs (lower leg) and Jamie Macmillan (finger) for the season.

Marley Williams (back) will also miss a fifth straight match after initially being a late withdrawal.

"(The accusation) has (been noted), but it's been dismissed so quickly, because it's absolutely laughable," Scott told reporters on Thursday.

"You could get really offended, because it does question your integrity, to an extent, but it's just been so far removed from fact that I don't want to engage too much in it, other than to say it's absolutely untrue.

"We intend to do everything we can to win the next five games of this season and we've always done that.

"In my time, I think we've missed the finals three times, and in each of those three seasons when we couldn't make the finals, we've won the last game of the year – I mean, we want to win."

Scott said it was a "slippery slope" when clubs started thinking strategically with list management and higher draft picks in mind as losses mounted.

"We want to create a winning culture and that's always what our club's been about and if you look back through our recent history, we've fought really hard," he said.

"Again, I can't stress enough – there have been probably situations in the past where clubs have maybe sent guys off early for surgery, knowing they couldn't make the finals – we haven't done that.

"The guys who've gone and had surgery now have needed it, because their season is over. There is no-one we could have managed through the rest of the season and in fact there are some players who are being managed at the moment that will need surgery at the end of the year, but we're not going to put them in until our season is over.

"I know people will think the No.1 draft pick would be nice, but my view is you want to create a culture and build a platform that's going to be rock-solid for the future. The difference between pick one, two, three and four – well, that's in the eye of the beholder, anyway."

Captain Ziebell looks certain to return, but Tarrant remains in doubt as his back problem lingers, while a potential defensive replacement, Lachie Hansen, is struggling to overcome hamstring tendonitis.

Young forward Mason Wood (calf) is nearing a return, but may miss another week.

Ruckman Braydon Preuss has also been out the past fortnight with back problems, but Scott hinted he could leapfrog Todd Goldstein into the senior side if he comes through training. Majak Daw has emerged as the club's No.1 big man for the time being.

Goldstein, the competition's All Australian big man two years ago, played in the VFL last week – going head-to-head with Hawthorn-listed Marc Pittonet – after a stretch of underwhelming form at AFL level.

"(Goldstein)'s certainly in the frame. He went back and played okay," Scott said.

"We're still looking to get Todd back to his very best and it's fair to say he's not at his very best at the moment, so we've got a decision to make. A fair bit of it will depend on how Preuss trains today."