The Magpies were gallant at Grafton last weekend and it could be largely in part due to a small travelling squad.

They went down 12.11 (83) to 11.13 (79) which was in contrast to the 102-point hammering the Pies dished out the last time the teams met.

This weekend they host Tweed Coast Tigers on Saturday and Schmidt will again be missing.

But he said this year is still an important year for the future of the club and its rebuild.

“We’re not going to win the grand final this year, but we still need everyone around.”

Schmidt used the development of Max Lower as an indication of what the Magpies can produce as a club.

“He is setting the benchmark for our club by being selected in the Swans reserves, so that provides an additional platform for some of our players,” he said.

“Some of our younger players like Lachy Philpott have shown dramatic improvement since the start of the year and we’ve got a couple of our under-18s who we need to step up like him.”