If Emma Kearney was in charge of the AFLW, the first thing she would do is ditch the conference system.
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The south-west export says the format, which splits the 10 teams into two groups with the top-two qualifying finals, is far from perfect.
"If I was in control I would scrap the conference system and move to having a full ladder with every team playing each other once in a 13-week season," the North Melbourne captain told The Standard.
She said the introduction of a two-week finals system had added excitement and unpredictability but conceded predicting the strongest teams at the start of the season was difficult.
"It is what it is," she said.
"All we can do is play footy and win as many games as possible to finish in the top two."
And the Kangaroos had made a good habit of winning football games until recently.
The first-year AFLW club made it to the halfway point of the season undefeated, comfortably beating Carlton, GWS and Kearney's old side Western Bulldogs before edging out Melbourne in a four-point thriller.
But last Sunday North Melbourne collided with the 2017 premiers Adelaide, giving Kearney the chance to go toe-to-toe with Erin Phillips, a fellow winner of the league best-and-fairest medal.
"I love the challenge of playing against elite midfielders," Kearney said.
"I really thrive on it – I'm a competitive person who doesn't like losing.
"Erin is probably the in-form player of the competition...it was a good contest.
"She's got weaknesses, like percentage efforts, I was able to exploit around stoppages.
"But she was still able to have an impact for Adelaide. And unfortunately we weren't good enough to get the win."
The side learned from the 35-point defeat, Kearney said, and will be hungry to get back on the winner's list against Collingwood, yet to win a game, on Saturday.
North Melbourne then faces another must-win game against Fremantle to round out the season. But Kearney isn't afraid to say the Shinboners have high ambitions for 2019.
"We want to win the grand final," the 29-year-old said.
"That's our goal and we won't shy away from it."
The former Monivae College student, who works full-time as the sport and recreation coordinator with North Melbourne's not-for-profit arm, The Huddle, said leading the club to football's holy grail would make it even sweeter.
"I've really enjoyed having that extra responsibility," Kearney said.
"I'm an older hat in the team and sharing some of my knowledge has been rewarding."
Kearney taught physical education at Flemington's Mount Alexander College before joining North Melbourne in 2018.
But she said life after playing AFLW would more likely continue to take place on the football field rather than in the classroom.
"I think I've finished with my teaching career," Kearney said. "I want to move into coaching when my playing days are over."
