Before Sunday, an AFLW grand final rematch had never been won by the reigning premiers.
Now, North Melbourne has become the first to assert their dominance, proving they can still beat not only the Brisbane Lions, but everyone else for that matter.
At the commencement of Round 5, all of North, Melbourne, Hawthorn, and Sydney remained undefeated, and now there's just the Kangaroos sitting pretty, worlds apart from their competition.
They've now won a staggering 17 straight games and are showing no signs of slowing down.
The buzz in the AFLW community is that they are an anomaly, in a league of their own, and quite frankly, unbeatable.
At time of writing, they sit at the top of the ladder with a percentage of 378.8, above second-placed Melbourne at 228.8.
For broader context, Richmond is the only team who haven't won a game this season, and they sit at the bottom of the ladder on 52.5%.
So, what is it that makes North Melbourne tick and how are they able to maintain such an era of dominance over a league they hadn't been champions in until November last year?
They became the first ever team in VFL/AFL/AFLW history to complete a season undefeated. And Libby Birch became the first in all men's or women's footy history to win a premiership with three different clubs (Birch is also the only AFLW player with wins against all 18 clubs).
Having only entered the competition in 2019, the Kangaroos also became the first ever expansion side to win a premiership, while star player Jasmine Garner finally won an individual league accolade as best on ground with a dominant 35-disposal and 10-clearance performance, after a career of perpetually missing out on winning the league's best and fairest award.
Finally, with the men's team not winning a flag since 1999 -- and having won just 12 games in the previous four years -- the success of North's AFLW team feels like a beacon of hope for the entire club and its supporter base.
For the Roos, their percentage screams utter dominance -- it isn't just a statistical anomaly, it's evidence of the gulf between them and the rest of the competition.
They're not scraping by; they're dismantling sides, week after week, in every part of the ground. Their defence suffocates, their midfield outworks, and their forwards convert with ruthless efficiency. This balance across the park has created the sort of juggernaut that opposition clubs can only admire, and fear.
One thing has become vehemently clear in this AFLW season, and it's that the clubs who back their women's sides in with resources, money and proper personnel are seeing the return.
The club has been backing women in general for years, making it a place where women can flourish and feel like AFL is a place they belong.
President Dr. Sonja Hood and Jennifer Watt made history when they became the first women to run an AFL club, in the roles of president and CEO respectively at Arden Street. Watt is just the second woman CEO of an AFL club, and Hood the fourth to be president.
Current AFL Executive General Manager Laura Kane also comes from a career with the Kangaroos.
These self-assured, clearly capable women are in charge and that approach has made its way throughout the organisation to empower the AFLW side and breathe belief into a club which has seen minimal success from their male counterparts in recent years.
Another thing North Melbourne has actively sought is the right coach.
This week it was announced that Ryan Ferguson has re-signed as head coach for Richmond, who are yet to win a game, but the Kangaroos made a quick decision after one season to replace now Sydney coach Scott Gowans and bring in Darren Crocker.
Crocker was a Kangaroo for 13 years as a player, including in the1996 premiership side, and reads his squad, and their strengths, in a way that breeds success.
North Melbourne entered the competition in the 2019 season when the league expanded from eight to 10 teams, alongside Geelong.
Between then and 2022, the competition has fielded a further eight teams to give every AFL club a women's team.
Some argue that teams which entered the competition earlier sit at an advantage, having been able to retain original players, establish systems, and ride out teething problems ahead of other expansion sides.
If we use this year's ladder as an example, the point is moot, seeing GWS win just their first game last round after a tortured beginning to the season, the Western Bulldogs sitting 15th on the ladder, and Collingwood and Fremantle each with three losses in five games.
North's dominance presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the AFLW. On one hand, blowout results and a runaway leader risk flattening the competition's parity. On the other, their success sets a standard that drags everyone else upward. Just as Brisbane or Adelaide defined earlier eras, North is now the yardstick. Rival clubs must sharpen their recruiting, conditioning, and tactics to close the gap.
This era of dominance may be frustrating for fans of other sides, but it's also a marker of the AFLW's growth. The Kangaroos are showing what a fully mature program can look like, and the rest of the competition will follow.
For now, North Melbourne stands as the AFLW's powerhouse. Whether their streak continues, or whether the chasing pack can catch them, one thing is certain: this is their era, and they've earned it.