North Melbourne captain Andrew Swallow got through unscathed in his first hit-out for North Ballarat in the Roosters' 25-point loss to Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Sunday.

Swallow, who quipped how heavy his legs felt after the match, collected 22 disposals over three quarters on limited game time but was relieved to get through his first match since rupturing an Achilles tendon in round 18 last year.

"I thought he was honest. Like anyone who's been out of the game for a long time, he just needs to play and just get his touch back," Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald said.

"We saw that what Andrew produced was very good given his game time."

It is likely, however, that the Roos will err on the side of caution and give Swallow another VFL match next Sunday against Footscray at Eureka Stadium rather than rushing him back for the AFL clash against his brother David and the Gold Coast on the same day.