Ben Jacobs has been given the nod to replace captain Andrew Swallow in the middle for North Melbourne when the side takes on Geelong on Friday night.

Jacobs’ last senior outing came, coincidentally, against the Cats in Round 2. Since then, he has been working on his game for North Ballarat in the VFL.

Development coach Josh Drummond has been impressed with Jacobs’ form in recent weeks, meaning he’s being selected at the right time.

Nathan Grima pulled up sore with a back issue and has been replaced by Luke Delaney.

Similar to Jacobs, Delaney has been in good form for the Roosters and is being rewarded. In Delaney’s previous game against the Cats, he played on Tom Hawkins and kept the key forward quiet for the majority of the game.

Majak Daw, Sam Wright and Levi Greenwood remain on the cusp, selected as emergencies.

The team
B: Lachlan Hansen, Scott Thompson, Cam Delaney
HB: Aaron Mullett, Luke Delaney, Taylor Hine
C: Daniel Wells, Sam Gibson, Shaun Atley
HF: Lindsay Thomas, Drew Petrie, Ryan Bastinac
F: Aaron Black, Robbie Tarrant, Brent Harvey
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Jack Ziebell
Int: Ben Jacobs, Leigh Adams, Brad McKenzie, Jamie Macmillan
Emer: Sam Wright, Levi Greenwood, Majak Daw
In: Luke Delaney, Ben Jacobs
Out: Nathan Grima (back), Andrew Swallow (Achilles)