THIS time last year, Sarah Wright was contemplating retirement.

Now, she is a premiership player off the back of a career-best season.

As she stands on the Ikon Park deck, having just taken a photo with family, the decision to stick around comes into firm focus. Fans were screaming her name, but she just basked in the moment.

"I actually thought about halfway through today 'How disappointing would it be if I was in the crowd?'" Wright told AFL.com.au.

"It would still be exciting, but not exciting as it is now."

There was a sense that she hadn't squeezed everything out of herself just yet. That there was still more to give. It was going to mean some managing of her body, and a level of understanding from her coaches and teammates, but there was still a desire burning away.

"I just had a little bit left in me, and my partner kind of said 'If there's any bit of you that wants to keep going, do it, because this is an opportunity you won't get again'," Wright said.

"I'm bloody glad I did."

She's not the only one who feels that way. Named in the All-Australian squad, Wright was deemed the best defender in the best defence in the League.

"I actually said to her before the game how glad I was that she didn't retire, because she's been so important to us throughout this whole year," head coach Darren Crocker said.

"She's just had such a great year, and we're so thankful that she decided to go on, but it's all credit to the players and the program. We created an environment where it just made it hard for her to retire. And she actually didn't want to retire in the end.

"She felt like she might need to, her body was, you know starting, but we managed her. She put in the work, and she just wanted to again, be a part of it."

The recruitment of Libby Birch helped, as has the form of her long-time defensive partner Jasmine Ferguson. But above all, North Melbourne's famed team defence, and ability to lean on one-another as part of a system allowed Wright to feel comfortable with her choice to stick around.

"With 'Lib' and 'Ferg' back there, it allows me to do what I do best, and that's read the play and intercept. So, without them, I can't do my job. I bloody love them," Wright said.

On Saturday night, however, Wright had her hands full with Lions winger/forward Sophie Conway, who was stationed inside 50 for much of the game. The Roo wasn't expecting Conway to be her direct opponent for the evening, but had done her homework nonetheless.

"I've been watching her, and she's been thrown down forward. Lucky she went back on the wing in that second half," Wright laughed.

"But no, I had a mix of players this year, which has actually suited me, and I really enjoyed the challenge … I think she's got a bit more speed than me, so to get her in that first tackle, I'm bloody lucky. But she plays a little bit of a different game to me, gets involved in offense, and that was something that I've really tried to focus on stopping, and getting the ball early, which I thought I did early."

She did the job beautifully, holding the two-time All-Australian Lion to just nine disposals – and goalless – well below her season average of 17.8 leading into the game.

It was an important part of the victory, with Wright's 20 disposals and nine intercepts helping to bed down the defensive line right from the opening stoppage.

And with such a strong performance, in such a big game, there is just one question that now hovers over Wright: will she play on in 2025?

"I am," Wright said with a smile.

"I've actually signed for two years, I've done a full 360, it's unbelievable."

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