Scott Thompson says he was desperate to play in Saturday night’s Elimination Final, but ultimately wouldn’t have been at his best.

The key-defender suffered an adductor injury against the Bulldogs in Round 22, returning for barely a few minutes against Sydney a fortnight later.

“I missed a game (after the Bulldogs) and then fitness test I was right to go. Against Sydney I tore a bit off the bone going up in a contest,” Thompson told NMFC.com.au.

“Jumping off my left, I got knocked in the left hip and just stretched the adductor, felt a pop. I got pushed into ‘Buddy’ (Lance Franklin).

“It wasn’t much, but it was just the perfect storm for the injury to happen.”

Thompson said the injury impacted his ability to run at full speed.

“I stayed out there for five minutes and I knew I was in a bit of trouble,” he said.

“I could still jog and get up to 75 per cent, I just couldn’t sprint, and as a defender you need to be able to sprint.”

Despite his best efforts, the key-defender was unable to recover in time for finals.

“Looking back now after we were out (of the finals), I was probably in doubt for not only next week, but probably the whole series. It was a bit of pain.”

Thompson said he can now focus on getting right for 2017.

“I’ve got a bit of rehab and it’s the perfect time now for me to get it right. In probably four or five weeks, I’ll be back to full strength.”

Thompson admitted it was tough watching on from the sidelines as North lost to Adelaide.

“I hate missing games, let alone a final, so I flew over there and watched, knowing who I was going to play on and you see things you might have been able to help out with,” he said.

“It’s really disappointing. It feels like I let the team down.

“It’s just incredibly disappointing not to be able to play with the four that were finishing … it was pretty emotional and I just wanted to be out there.”