In their way this week is Carlton. With both sides placed so close to each other on the ladder - the pair are even on points, the Kangaroos narrowly lead on percentage - there's arguably no better test as for this firing North Melbourne side.
The team has been bolstered by the returns of AFLW-listed Britt Gibson and Ella Maurer, while gun midfielder Georgia Nicholas also returns.
Tasmania Devils' captain Jemma Blair stays in the side thanks to her strong performance against Port Melbourne last week, while Candice Belbin makes her way out of the side due to representative duties with the Allies.
Amy Bissett will make her VFLW season debut and has been named on the interchange.
The most telling battle of the day looks set to occur in the ruck with two of the competition's champions of the centre bounce, Liz McGrath and Jorja Borg, set to go head to head.
McGrath has put an unbelievable season together so far in 2022 and has consistently been one of the Kangaroos' top performers. Just as capable at ground level as in the air, McGrath currently sits second in total hitouts in the competition this season, only behind this week's opposite number Borg. McGrath, however, leads the League in hitouts to advantage.
Emily Paterno will be hoping to continue her remarkable form after her two goals last week. Maurer plays her first game since her exceptional performance against Darebin where she finished with 19 disposals, five clearances and a goal.
Carlton v North Melbourne at Ikon Park, 10.30am AEST
B: 17. J Jones, 18. A Melnikas HB: 1. M Eastman, 10. C Fitzgerald, 24. E Macdonald C: 2. J Mourney, 12. R Hicks, 35. A Smith HF: 7. B Slaney, 15. S Skinner, 26. T Craven F: 6. A O'Loughlin, 44. B Gibson R: 22. E McGrath, 42. E Maurer, 23. A Scott
I/C: 3. H Ibrahim, 21. E Paterno, 16. G Nicholas, 37. J Blair, 36. A Bissett
Emg: 4. A Rhodes, 25. L Loughnane, 19. L Wright, 33. T Bradley
The Kangaroos got out to an extraordinary start thanks to two Britt Gibson goals in the first term. Leading by 23 points at the first break, the Kangaroos went on the win the game by 27.
After experiencing slow starts in the recent victories over Darebin and Port Melbourne, Steph Binder says she's happy her side could come out of the gates firing.
"We had a big focus during the week on getting our start right because we knew it would be hard to come back against Carlton if they got the jump on us," Binder told North Media.
"'Gibbo' really stepped up for us in the first quarter. She really showed her skill and her class to lift the whole team early. The show she put on in that quick start was huge for us.
"The girls have really taken a lot of confidence from the last couple of weeks, and we knew if we could bring our best footy we'd put ourselves in a position to win. The most pleasing thing about it though is we're winning while playing the North way."
Despite the integral fast start Gibson helped provide, the Kangaroos didn't rely on any single player to drag them over the line against Carlton. While there were certainly standout performers, the victory came as a result of a strong team effort.
Molly Eastman was a mature and calm presence coming out of the backline and finished with 22 disposals while Reni Hicks was irresistible in the middle of the ground and had 17 disposals, one goal and five clearances.
Amy Smith's performance on the wing was strong as she continues to find form and Tess Craven was a classy operator in the middle of the ground.
Binder says the ability for the whole side to band together is a testament to the culture they've built.
"I think we knew from the start of the season that once it all clicked we knew we were on the right path, and that's what we're getting reward from now," Binder said.
"Instead of relying on the same one or two players every week we've had really good depth on our list and we're winning from strong team performances rather than hanging our hopes on one or two girls.
"It's really pleasing and that's what we worked at building at the start of the season. Everyone is contributing, everyone is playing their roles and it's really nice to see it all coming together."
The key battle of the game came in the ruck contest between North Melbourne's Liz McGrath and Carlton's Jorja Borg. As the top two ranked rucks in the competition, individual bragging rights were on the line between the two stars of the competition.
It was McGrath who emerged victorious from the battle though, taking the honours in almost every facet of the game. She finished with 18 disposals and 20 hitouts while Borg ended the game with nine and 11 respectively.
McGrath has been one of the top performers for the Kangaroos this season, and Binder believes she has the best ruck in the competition locking down the middle of the ground for her side.
"I think it would be pretty hard to argue against Liz being the number one ruck in the competition at the moment, especially with how she performed against a really tough opponent this week," she said.
"I can't say it enough, it's not just her hitouts that allow her to impact the game for us, but it's also the work she does around the ground and in the contest.
"For her to go up against Jorja Borg and play so well, her taking out the honours is a good reward for all the effort she's put in."
The Kangaroos look to continue their run of form against Geelong next week. The Cats currently occupy fifth spot on the ladder while North sits in eighth.
Binder believes the best is yet to come from her side and another strong opponent offers the perfect opportunity to prove it.
"We've probably still got another couple of levels to go up. We've been playing some really good footy but I don't quite think we're at our peak yet," she said.
"The girls are still hungry to get the most our of themselves. Hopefully this week we can go up another level again and put in a really strong performance against Geelong who are looking like being a really tough opponent."
Tess Craven: 15 disposals, three clearances Britt Gibson: Six disposals, two goals Ella Maurer: 11 disposals four tackles Alice O'Loughlin: Six disposals, one goal Amy Smith: 20 disposals, four marks, three tackles
Best of VFLW-listed
Molly Eastman: 22 disposals, four tackles Reni Hicks: 17 disposals, one goal, five tackles, five clearances Liz McGrath: 18 disposals, 20 hitouts, five marks, three clearances Annabel Scott: 22 disposals, one goal, seven marks, three clearances
