North Melbourne resembles the walking wounded ahead of Saturday's clash with the Brisbane Lions, a match it must win to avoid claiming a first wooden spoon since 1972. 

Coach Brad Scott will be without Dan Nielson (concussion) and Braydon Preuss – who is set to undergo right shoulder surgery – almost certainly captain Jack Ziebell (foot) and possibly Todd Goldstein (eye, knee and elbow). 

Ziebell didn't train on Thursday and Goldstein, with strapping on his left elbow, left the track early but returned. Scott was confident none of Goldstein's injuries would stop him going head-to-head with Lions star Stefan Martin.

Making matters worse, none of Jarrad Waite and Mason Wood (both calf) or Corey Wagner (ankle) will return from medium-term injuries. 

Cameron Zurhaar (back) and Nick Larkey (knee) face fitness tests, but Aaron Mullett (calf) is set to return and in-form key defender Ben McKay – brother of Carlton's Harry – will make his AFL debut. 

"I'm reluctant to say (Ziebell) definitely won't play, because he's still, as Jack does, campaigning to play but the medical advice is no," Scott told reporters. 

"He's unable to train today – he's sore – but he wants up until the last minute to prove his fitness. But with the six-day turnaround it makes it even more difficult … (and) the medical advice at this stage is no."

McKay will become North's 11th debutant this year, and his VFL form has spiked since switching from up forward to defence three weeks ago.

"We try and train them up as being capable of playing forward or back, and Ben certainly played a mixture of forward and back in his junior career," Scott said. 

"He's a very competitive guy and when you see him, he's 200cm and a big kid already, so he's going to be a player we're going to be able to build a spine around, so we want to be able to do that at both ends. 

"I thought Robbie Tarrant was a centre half-forward for a long time and he's gone back and I think he's an All Australian-standard defender."