North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says Carlton’s lack of a support act for ruckman Matthew Kreuzer might make the Kangaroos’ job tougher in Friday night’s AFL clash.

With Shaun Hampson injured and Robert Warnock suspended, Kreuzer is expected to do almost all of the ruckwork in the crucial Etihad Stadium clash.

But Scott said the form of the Blues big man when Hampson went down against Collingwood last Friday night showed that might not be an advantage for the Kangaroos.

“It depends which way you look at it,” Scott said.

“Kreuzer probably played his best game for the year last week, so players like that, of that calibre, tend to step up under pressure.

“He was magnificent last week.

“So you could look at it as a weakness, not having a back-up for him.

“Or you could say Kreuzer’s going to spend the majority of time in the ruck. If he’s doing that, he’s going to be a pretty influential player.

“We’re going to have to look at how we can possibly get an advantage.

“We’ve got Todd Goldstein in really good form … I look forward to seeing a great battle between two young ruckmen who can hopefully forge a real rivalry for the next decade or so.”

Carlton were yet to confirm after training on Thursday whether gun midfielder Marc Murphy, who has been out since round eight with a shoulder injury, would return against the Kangaroos.

Assistant coach Mark Riley said Murphy made it through a fitness test earlier in the week and was submitted to another on Thursday, but the club would wait until later in the day to make a final call.

“Hopefully he’s right, but we won’t be taking any risks with a player of that quality,” Riley said.

Scott said the Kangaroos would plan for Murphy to play.

“We’ll know definitely whether he’s going to play 90 minutes before the game,” he said.

“He’s obviously a very good player and a very good replacement for Kade Simpson, if he comes in.

“We’ll do all our due diligence and, if he’s there, he’s there. If he’s not, it’s a bonus.”