NORTH Melbourne's list of emerging young talent has been dealt another blow, with first-gamer Alan Obst expected to be ruled out for at least four weeks.

Obst, promoted from the rookie list to make his debut against West Coast on Saturday night, had a lung punctured after he was bumped from behind in the first quarter.

He joins Lachlan Hansen, Robbie Tarrant (both with knee injuries) and Jesse Smith (hamstring) among the young players on the injury list. Aaron Edwards (broken leg) and Daniel Pratt (groin) are among the more experienced players also injured.

Kangaroos football manager Donald McDonald said yesterday that Obst was admitted to a Gold Coast hospital on Saturday night and would stay for a few days before driving back to Melbourne.

"If you don't get medical treatment pretty quickly, you could be in a bit of strife, but we've handled it well," he said.

"The thing is, he couldn't fly back with the team because of the nature of the injury, so he's going to take a couple of days up there for the lung to settle and then he'll be right to drive back."

McDonald agreed the injury was a rough way for a player to start his senior footballing career, but added that Obst was "a tough competitor" who had earned his right to be in the team.

"That's footy. There's always little hurdles you've got to jump over," McDonald said. "We'll do everything right to make sure he gets looked after.

"It is unfortunate, but at least he's played a senior game and he knows what it's all about, and we're going to get him healthy again."

McDonald said the team's sizeable injury list would help junior players fight their way into the senior team.

"Like a few other clubs, we've got a lot of injuries," he said. "It just creates opportunities for other players and that's just how it is. Sometimes you're only as good as the depth you've got on your list and that's the way we're approaching it.

"We've got to be as positive as we possibly can be, and it's disappointing for those boys that are injured, but it just gives opportunities for other guys."

Carlton rookie Michael Jamison is expected to have scans today to determine the severity of the shoulder injury he received in the third quarter of Saturday night's loss to Brisbane Lions at Telstra Dome.

After the match, coach Brett Ratten praised Jamison's efforts, saying he was close to the team's best player on the ground.

"I think he did an outstanding job on (Daniel) Bradshaw," Ratten said. "(But) that's footy; you get the good and the bad and that's the way it goes.

"I think sometimes you might have to put a kid back into the team; if we do have to go that way, we get to find out if they can play, and that's where we need to keep going down to make sure that our list is prepared for whatever comes in front of them."

Hawthorn's Brent Guerra went down with a hamstring injury early in the second quarter of the Hawks' win over Port Adelaide in Launceston on Saturday.

Coach Alastair Clarkson said it was unlikely Guerra would line up for the next match against Melbourne on Sunday.