Every club has experienced heads and emerging youngsters that fly under the radar.

They might be the glue in the team's structure, or a rising star who has shown bits and pieces but not captured the attention of those who aren't as rusted on.

So in part three of our 2023 season preview, NMFC Media names a selection of those players for fans to keep an eye on this season.

Alice O'Loughlin

Quick to react and opportunistic around goals, small forward O'Loughlin is going to have a ball crumbing at the feet of Kate Shierlaw, Emma King, and Tahlia Randall.

The No.6 kicked eight goals from 11 matches last season, and now has 20 total games worth of experience in her back pocket to build from.

She'll have support from other forwards like Bella Eddey and Ellie Gavalas at ground level too, which could free up O'Loughlin inside 50 even more.

Kim Rennie

A fixture of North Melbourne's line-up, Rennie is sometimes overlooked in a midfield that boasts some of the league's premier ball-winners.

The ruck is entering her seventh AFLW campaign (third with the Kangaroos), and although she doesn’t record overly high hitout numbers, her ability to get around the ground and become a fourth onballer is what sets her apart from her opposition counterparts.

A premiership player with the Western Bulldogs in 2018, Rennie is expected to notch her 50th appearance at the level in Round 4 barring any injuries or suspensions.

Erika O'Shea

Another pre-season has done Irish import O'Shea a world of good heading into her second season as Roo, with two standout performances coming against the Bulldogs and Bombers over the past month.

Fresh to the sport last season, the half-back flanker quickly adapted to Australian football and has become a crucial player in North Melbourne's backline next to the experienced Emma Kearney and Nicole Bresnehan.

O'Shea may have an extra bit of motivation behind her as well after she missed out on last year's final series with a serious eye injury sustained in the final round.

Amy Smith

When the elimination final was up for grabs against the Cats in Geelong last season, Smith was right in the thick of things, laying a whopping 17 tackles while gaining 16 possessions of her own (eight contested) to will her team over the line.

Now established on the wing in a strong North Melbourne line-up, Smith is primed to build on her running and contest, and become a regular ball-winner for the Roos.

Taylah Gatt

North Melbourne's first selection at No.28 in the 2022 AFLW Draft, Gatt went onto play all 13 games in her first season as a Roo - a testament to her work ethic and ability to quickly understand and adapt to the way Darren Crocker wanted his side to play.

Not needing a stack of the ball to make an impact, Gatt used her speed to evade defenders when a chance to make a play with ball in hand arose, and effortlessly found space when the Roos were looking to transition from defensive 50 to attacking 50.

Like Smith, expect Gatt to find another gear and have a larger influence in 2023 as she looks to follow up on an impressive debut campaign.