Tarryn Thomas's future remains unclear with North Melbourne saying they have no indication when the AFL will make a call on the latest allegation against the player.
As the Kangaroos' pre-season continued on Wednesday with an intraclub hitout at Arden St, Thomas is training away from the club.
The star midfielder-forward went to league headquarters late last month to front the AFL integrity unit after new domestic violence allegations were made against him.
Thomas was twice stood down by the club last year amid concerns over his behaviour towards women.
He was put through a respect and responsibility education program and spent three weeks in the VFL before later earning a senior recall, ultimately playing 12 AFL games last year.
"They (the AFL) are sorting it out at the moment. We're basically just waiting to hear what they decide to come back with," North assistant coach Leigh Adams said after Wednesday's practice match.
"Right now, at this stage, he's training away from the footy club with a few of our coaches, keeping himself fit and healthy.
"We're just worrying about the blokes we have on our list. At the moment he's on our list, but not here.
"We just keep marching forward and invest in the 40 guys we have at this footy club, who can help us win round one."
Meanwhile, young guns such as George Wardlaw, No.2 draft pick Colby McKercher and Charlie Lazzaro had eye-catching hitouts ahead of North's match simulation on February 21 against premiers Collingwood.
Wardlaw was a Rising Star nominee last year, but was restricted to eight games because of injury.
With a full pre-season and healthy hamstrings the midfielder was a standout in Wednesday's scratch match.
"As you could see out there today, when he's near the football something good normally happens," Adams said.
McKercher, like their Rising Star winner Harry Sheezel last season, will start his AFL career off half-back.
"They play the game a bit differently - Sheezel is obviously a little bit classier, (slows) down the game, where 'Kerch' wants to run at the game 100 mile an hour," Adams said.
"But they both have elite ball use and elite decision-making. To have them both off half-back is going to be really exciting for us.
"If he can have half the impact that Sheezel had, he's going to have a pretty good year. But he has those capabilities, for sure."
A glaring problem for North will be their lack of experience in defence, with Ben McKay gone to Essendon and Toby Pink, Kallan Dawson and Bigoa Nyuon the candidates as tall backmen.
"We looked up at one stage there in the third quarter and we had seven games of experience in our back half," Adams said.
"That's what it's going to look like, early in our season."
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