1. Can the Kangas go back to back to back?

Every rival is aware of North Melbourne's formidable form across the past two seasons. The Kangaroos haven’t dropped points since a draw in Round 2, 2024, and haven't lost since the 2023 Grand Final, a streak now standing at 27 consecutive wins and 29 games unbeaten.

But history stands against the Roos. No club has won three AFLW flags in a row.

As they set out to rewrite the record books again this season, the Kangaroos will be bolstered by having retained the core of last year's premiership squad. Emma Kearney, Kate Shierlaw, Eliza Shannon, Tessa Boyd, Libby Birch, Kim Rennie and the uncapped Claire Mahony all signed contract extensions across the off-season and pre-season. 

That continuity could be key for coach Darren Crocker, together with the knowledge that his team are no strangers to handling pressure. 

2. Is this Emma Kearney's final season?

One of the greatest players the competition has seen, Kearney is North Melbourne's inaugural AFLW captain, a three-time premiership player across two clubs, and the only player to win All-Australian selection in eight consecutive seasons.

In the days after North Melbourne's 2025 Grand Final win, Kearney said she'd make a call on her future in the coming weeks.

To Roos fans' delight, the 36-year-old decided to go around again, signing a one-year deal to extend her career through 2026. 

The champ heads into the season on 94 career games. Bringing up her 100-game milestone in her final year would be a neat way to sign off, but then Kearney has made a career out of defying convention, and opponents.

Few would be brave enough to predict where her story ends.

3. Which new faces will establish themselves?

Young defender Claire Mahony has the first opportunity to answer this question.

After she smashed her fitness markers in her second pre-season at the club, and impressed in the Kangaroos' practice matches, Mahony has been rewarded with her AFLW debut in Round 1. 

Attention now turns to whether Mahony can make her mark, and who might follow her. Draft recruit Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner arrives with AFLW miles already in the legs and will be in the frame to play this season, while Shauna McElligott and Sarah Wall (sister of premiership forward Vikki Wall) add further draft-day depth.

With Taylah Gatt (groin) ruled out for at least three weeks, pre-season signing Abby Favell could get an early look-in as a hard-working winger, while trade recruit Maddison Torpey brings AFLW experience from Carlton and will be readily available if the Kangas need to call on their tall stocks.

4. Can Eilish Sheerin pick up where she left off?

Sheerin's 2025 wasn't without its hurdles. A hamstring injury kept her out from Round 8-12 and cost her a spot in the qualifying final, but she returned for the preliminary final and was outstanding when it mattered most.

Her Grand Final performance, a unanimous 12-vote Best on Ground haul off the back of 28 disposals, eight tackles, nine clearances and two goals, capped off a brilliant first season at the club since crossing from Richmond.

Recruited primarily as a half-back, Sheerin's ability to push into stoppages and win the ball at the source has made her a valuable acquisition for the Kangaroos.

In Saturday's season opener against Geelong in an AFL/W double-header at Marvel Stadium, two-way star Sheerin gets the chance to pick up in 2026 exactly where she left off, on one of footy's biggest stages.

5. Which forwards fire?

Irish surprise package Bláithín Bogue led the club's goalkicking last season, booting 25 goals in her debut season to earn All-Australian honours and become just the third player in league history to reach that tally.

Bogue shares the forward line with fellow All-Australian Tahlia Randall, who kicked 18 goals last year, supported by Kate Shierlaw and Alice O'Loughlin, who each kicked 10 goals of their own.

But the Roos' paths to goal don't all go through their pure forwards.

Captain Jasmine Garner's 21 goals last season included a career-best six-goal haul against Port Adelaide last season. Ruck Emma King presents a strong target inside 50, as does Vikki Wall, whose combination of speed and strength adds another dimension to the Kangas' attack.

With the varied firepower at coach Crocker's disposal, the race for lead goalkicker shapes as one of this season's most intriguing.