NORTH Melbourne's men's team had a horror first half of the year, losing all 11 matches before its bye.

The freshen-up afforded by the week off and natural improvement were credited for the following purple patch, which saw the Roos win two of the next five. Two of the losses were by a cumulative four points.

But maybe there was a third, previously uncredited element that helped to give the side a boost.

"I suppose the way both our programs aligned with our schedules, we were training on the same days. North's facilities are great, but they're small. We got together and had a chat on how we can best utilise each other and feed off each other," North Melbourne women's skipper Emma Kearney told AFL.com.au.

"Our first training session we had, the boys came on after we were done, and we had a bit of a joint training session. The energy was high. It was just after the bye, so the boys had come off a bad stretch of performances. So, I think the injection of our energy coming into the group was really strong.

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"Luke McDonald, one of the co-captains, he spoke on behalf of the men's team and welcomed us in, welcomed the new faces. Then, it's just been an organic thing. Because we're in at the same time, we have lunch together, which has been really pleasing.

"My involvement in the men's program (as a development coach) helps with that connection too, being able to bring one another together.

"We've got a really young list in the men's, and we've also got some really young players in the women's, so it's actually really nice to see them coming through the pathways together and having some banter together when they pass in the hallways, or when the day's out, and they're in the sauna together having a bit of a laugh or a genuine conversation."

Kearney has been one of the main drivers of North Melbourne's continued excellence over the years, and is now coming into her seventh season as the club's only ever AFLW captain.

Prior to the AFLW, she had played for VWFL side Melbourne Uni, who had a close alliance with North Melbourne, driven by now-AFL footy boss Laura Kane.

She played for the Western Bulldogs in the first two years of the AFLW when the Roos didn't have a side, winning a flag and a league best and fairest before quickly returning home to Arden Street a few days after the awards ceremony.

"I work really hard on my leadership. I know I can come across as really intimidating, (but) I'm probably a naturally shy and quiet person off-field, which is sometimes surprising to some. So I've had to really adapt my leadership," Kearney said.

"I think when I first started leading the Kangas, it was 'this is how things should run'. I took a lot of things on that were out of my control. I now let the coaches coach, and I lead by example.

"But also, for me, it's about showing that everyone's different on our list. I'm really self-driven, in the off-season, I have no problems following the program, but others might find it challenging.

"I think early days, I probably thought everyone should be built like me. But it's not the case, and I've had to really adapt to that and embrace everyone's individuality, and I think that's really helped me as a leader in showing a bit of empathy and care to the players. I will give them a clip if it's needed, but I'll be the first one to wrap my arms around them and really show them love and care."

Set to turn 35 at the end of the month, and signed to the Roos until the end of next season, you get the sense Kearney could keep charging out of the backline for another few years.

She earned some coaches' votes for her 15-disposal, eight-intercept performance in North Melbourne's stunning 44-point thumping of Brisbane.

"I was sports-mad. I was okay at school, but sport was what I thrived at, it was what I felt really comfortable and confident in. Footy was never on my radar," Kearney said.

"I did Auskick (in her hometown of Hamilton), but there was no girls competitions for me. I hated the game there for a little while, because my two brothers could play. They were hopeless, but they could (theoretically) play AFL if they wanted to, but I couldn't, so I hated the game.

"Like any 12-year-old, you get over things pretty quickly and you move onto other sports. I was so fortunate that my parents were both supportive and they were our taxis. I'm one of four kids, and Mum and Dad would always drive us to sports. I played a lot of hockey, basketball and then cricket, which I pursued a little more than the other sports, but that has given me so many lessons in life.

"Little tiny Emma, wanting to represent Australia in cricket or hockey, would be sitting back thinking, 'yeah, you've done all right'."