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DREW Petrie's career-best form since returning from serious injury has not surprised his coach Brad Scott.

The North Melbourne vice-captain missed all but two games in 2010 after breaking a foot on three separate occasions last year.

Those injuries cast doubts over his future, but Scott said Petrie had returned as good a player as ever.

"He's returned pretty much as he left off," Scott said at Aegis Park on Thursday.

"He hasn't lost any of his ability and it was just a matter of getting his mobility back.

"He is a unique athlete. He's performing pretty much as we expected him to and that's because we've got such high expectations [of him]."

Last Saturday, Petrie equalled his best season goal tally of 38 majors.

However, this year he reached the mark in just 16 games, at an average of 2.4 goals a match, while in 2007 it took him 25 games to reach the same mark.

Petrie's versatility had meant he was played everywhere from the ruck, defence, forward and the wing prior to this season. But Scott said his ability to play as North's primary forward target in 2011 had been hugely important to the team's structure.

"He is so versatile he could be a genuine ruckman in his own right if we played him there all season," Scott said.

"But Todd Goldstein has come along really well and we've been keen to settle our side down, so we’re not plugging gaps. We are getting our structure right so we can develop our players underneath."

Goldstein has carried North's ruck division all season in the injury-enforced absence of Hamish McIntosh. After two bouts of post-season achilles tendon surgery, McIntosh has now played four consecutive games in the VFL with Werribee.

But Scott said McIntosh had not come close to being selected in North's match against Carlton on Friday night, and would not return to the AFL until he hit his best form.

But, when he did so, Scott was confident he could form a potent ruck partnership with Goldstein.

"We've got a unique opportunity where we've got two outstanding ruckmen - and Hamish is an All-Australian-standard ruckmen - so I think that it would be a massive weapon for us," Scott said.

"West Coast [with Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui] are showing at the moment just how dominant it can be when … you play two genuine ruckman in tandem.

"I think Hamish and 'Goldy' have got the capabilities to have that sort of relationship and partnership."

Similarly, Scott said Lindsay Thomas, dropped two rounds ago after battling chronic inaccuracy in front of goal, needed more time in the VFL before returning to North's team.

Thomas kicked 7.5 in North's most recent clash with Carlton, in round 12 last season.

Although he had shown improvement in two games with North Ballarat, Scott said he still had issues to address.

Scott said he was excited by his team's chance to test itself against fourth-placed Carlton, but said the fact it had won seven of its past eight matches against the Blues, including their most recent clash, would not give it a psychological edge.

Scott said the absence of injured Blues bookends Jarrad Waite and Michael Jamison would not make life any easier for North on Friday night.

Carlton still had plenty of options in its forward line despite Waite's absence, with Eddie Betts, Jeff Garlett, Andrew Walker and Matthew Kreuzer all dangerous players, Scott said.

Similarly, he said Carlton's elite midfield, led by Chris Judd and Marc Murphy, would help cover Jamison's absence from Carlton's back six.

"A lot of great sides build their defence on a pretty good midfield," Scott said.

"I think their midfield protects their defence fairly well because more than anyone else in the competition they get the ball going their way."

Scott also said rookie Aaron Mullett was being closely considered for elevation to the North's list after his outstanding recent form for North Ballarat. 



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