NORTH Melbourne should not risk its star players against Hawthorn on Friday night if they are not 100 per cent fit, according to Wayne Carey.

The former Kangaroos star says he would rest anyone who wasn’t 100 per cent.

The Kangaroos have had a host of injury concerns come out of their clash with Geelong on Saturday night.

Skipper Andrew Swallow (concussion), ruckman Todd Goldstein (knee) and midfielders Ben Cunnington (leg) and Nick Dal Santo (groin) were among the casualities.

“It is a long season. I think one of the great things about having early wins on the board – and we’ve seen Geelong do it over the years, and the Hawks – is you’ve got to manage your list,” Carey said on Channel 7.

“Cunnington, Swallow, Goldstein, Dal Santo – there’s question marks on all of those guys for this weekend.

“If there is any doubt, if any of those are not 100 per cent fit, I would not play any of them this week… I wouldn’t be going in with half-fit guys, because the chances are, you lose that one, then you carry that injury (into the Adelaide game).”

Carey said the Kangaroos couldn’t afford to risk players for the sake of a big Friday night fixture.

“Unless they are 100 per cent fit, I say rest them, get them ready for Adelaide and go over to Adelaide and have a real crack at Adelaide,” he said.

“You’ve got to be smart about this. You can’t allow these guys to be carrying injuries just for the sake of a big game on a Friday night against the Hawks.

“That game, you might lose anyway.”