Friday, 30 November 2018:

EMMA KEARNEY of the Bulldogs in action during the AFL Women's match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Western Bulldogs at UNSW Canberra Oval in Canberra, Australia.

North Melbourne have set the bar high for their first AFLW season, with skipper Emma Kearney confident the Kangaroos are capable of challenging for the premiership.

North's ambitious list build started with Kearney's high-profile move from 2018 grand-final winners the Western Bulldogs not long after she claimed the AFLW's best-and-fairest award.

The big signings continued with the addition of stars Moana Hope, Emma King and Kaitlyn Ashmore.

"It's a long way to go but we've built a really strong list to get the job done," Kearney told reporters on Friday.

"It's really unpredictable the women's competition but we've got the right players and coaching staff in place to get the job done.

"Obviously you're a bit nervous when you're the first one to sign and you're not sure who else is going to.

"But I was confident with the work that North Melbourne has done for women's footy that we were always going to get really strong players.

"We've built a really strong list and we're confident that will put us in good stead in 2019."

The Roos will enter the women's competition with Geelong next season, with Gold Coast, West Coast, Richmond and St Kilda to make it a 14-team league in 2020.

North's strong presence in Tasmania was part of their winning bid for an expansion licence, with the club to host two games in the state next year.

Like inaugural AFLW premiers Adelaide, who have players based in Darwin, the Roos' playing group will be split across two states.

"We've got girls based in Tasmania so we don't see them as much but the club is doing a mountain of work so those girls feel really integrated," she said.

"The leadership group has decided that one of us will go and train down there every Saturday so that we get that connection with them."

Kearney spoke to reporters at Arden St on Friday where Mazda announced their 20-year-old major sponsorship agreement with the club would extend to the women's team.

AAP