Kangaroos provide injury update on Colby McKercher after substitution

The 18-year-old, who was taken by North Melbourne with pick two of last year's draft, was subbed out early in the Roos' match against Geelong.

The incident occurred in the first quarter as Jeremy Cameron attacked the ball and collided with McKercher's ribs before the young gun was tackled by Tom Atkins.

The former Launceston Blue was seen clutching his sternum on the bench before being subbed out but the team's weekly injury update described him as "should be good to go".

"Colby sustained strong contact to the sternum on the weekend and was in discomfort," North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White told NMFC Media.

"A conservative approach was taken, and he was brought to the hospital for scans/X-Ray which revealed no significant damage."

Five games into his AFL career, McKercher averages 15 disposals per game - amassing 22 twice.

He was not the only prized Tasmanian draft pick subbed out on the weekend, with Western Bulldogs' Ryley Sanders also suffering the fate.

In contrast to McKercher, Sanders' substitution was viewed as tactical - eliciting an emotional response.

The North Launceston product, who moved to Melbourne in 2022, threw his towel and water bottle, which was discussed in the post-game press conference by Luke Beveridge.

"It's a steep learning curve for Sando," he said.

"He's going to be such an important player for the football club and he's learning all the time, and part of that is understanding that, from time to time, he may be that guy that comes off the ground."

It marked the second time Sanders has been subbed out in his five-game career.