Olver would neither confirm nor deny whether Dal Santo would line-up for the Burras against Beaufort, but he said the club did have a verdict.

“You could say we’ve got a verdict, but I’d like to keep that one to myself,” Olver said with a smile.

Olver may have been keeping his cards close to his chest, but he gave the impression Dal Santo was a likely starter.

Olver, who will coach his final game for the club on Saturday, said the club would make the decision more public closer to the first bounce but there was no doubting the significant influence the smooth-moving midfielder could have on the wide expanses of Mars Stadium.

“I think Nick Dal Santo would get a game in the North Melbourne side at the moment,” Olver joked.

“We know how good he is, 326 AFL games and all the rest of it, to have him out on that oval, he’s going to be hard to stop. We’ll play it by ear and see how we go.”

Olver has previously stated that Dal Santo would be right to play in the grand final, should Hepburn get that far.

After Dal Santo debuted for Hepburn against Beaufort early in the season, Olver kept his planned appearance quiet for the following weekend’s clash with Springbank. Dal Santo shocked many when he turned up at Wallace and played in the Burras’ big win over the reigning back-to-back premiers.