Wells, 31, played out last Sunday's win over St Kilda with the complaint, and Scott said the Roos were likely to play it safe with the midfielder, who has surged back to near his best this season.

"Wellsy won't train today, and to be honest, I don't think we'll pick him," Scott said before training on Thursday.

"We're not absolutely decided on that just yet. There's a school of thought that we wait right up until the last minute to see if he gets up.

"We just won't take any risk. [The] medicos want to give Wellsy another couple of days but I suspect that if he doesn't do anything – which the plan at the moment is for him not to do anything – then it'll be up to the coach to make the call."

Should he be an absentee, Wells would join seasoned backman Michael Firrito, who will be rested from the Bombers game at Etihad Stadium because of soreness. However, Scott insisted the relative weakness of this week's opposition was not a factor in decisions regarding the pair.

Forward Lindsay Thomas will return from suspension to replace Shaun Higgins, who will be placed on the long-term injury list with a knee injury which is set to keep the former Western Bulldogs player out for three months. Rookie Farren Ray will be promoted in Higgins' place.

Lachie Hansen is unavailable due to a concussion suffered last weekend in the VFL, while Sam Wright will miss another match with his ankle issue. Scott said Hansen had "regressed overnight" and was having MRI scans on Thursday, but the coach remained hopeful the defender would play next weekend.

Scott explained North were taking a "no-risk approach with anyone who's got injuries", a benefit of starting the season 7-0.

"I think [our record] does have an influence to be perfectly honest. Purely because we're not scrambling. We've got to get our best 22 out there to play. And that's still our intention.

"Rather than resting guys en masse, we're looking at who's a little bit sore, who's coming back from injury, and just as importantly getting guys in who are playing good footy in the VFL."

The Roos are likely to be forced into a slight restructure because of Higgins' absence. Forward replacement options Jed Anderson, Taylor Garner and Kayne Turner all have injured hamstrings, with Scott expecting the trio to be back training in around three weeks.

"We're going to be really conservative with all of them. Kayne was probably fairly minor. Taylor Garner, just because of his injury history, we've been really conservative."

Saturday's match is the Roos' first against Nathan Grima. The veteran defender retired last year due to a debilitating back injury, but was a shock selection as one of the Dons' 10 top-up players brought in to fill the gap left by those who were suspended in January by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

A smile emerged on Scott's face when questioned about Grima, 30, for whom the coach expressed concerns in February after the backman signed with Essendon.

"He's a real competitor. I'm rapt for him. I was one of the first people to call him when he was selected in Essendon's team to congratulate him," said Scott.

"It's a great story, and our key forwards will have their work cut out."

Scott had initially been worried about Grima's welfare, mindful of the need for the Tasmanian not to exacerbate his back problem such that it would affect him later in life."I was shocked because we were really concerned about his quality of life.

"Where he was probably six or eight months ago, to where he is now, is chalk and cheese. So it's a real credit to him."

Grima made his debut for the Dons in last Saturday's loss to Sydney.