Two season-ending games has been enough to convince North Melbourne to re-sign Daria Bannister for a second AFLW season at Arden Street.
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Bannister returned late to the Roos campaign after fully recovering from an ACL knee injury on her debut for the Western Bulldogs in 2017.
The Launceston talent, who turns 20 on Saturday, was delighted to commit on Tuesday to one of this year's AFLW rookie sides.
"We had a very successful year, so to be able to play the last two games with them was a highlight being a part of the club," Bannister said.
"They managed my rehab really well and it was an easy decision to come back. I'm glad I've signed and will be a part of it in 2020."
The latest signature follows the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos locking away star Burnie defender Brittany Gibson just days earlier.
The small forward denied she was motivated to remain at the club over the injustice of the controversial AFLW conference system.
The Roos won five times from seven appearances that included the opening four, but the third-placed side in conference A missed out on finals despite Carlton and Geelong winning less games in the rival conference.
"As far as the conference system and how it all is, unfortunately on the day we knew what we needed to do, but we just couldn't get it done and were beaten by the better team," Bannister said.
The latest Blues TSLW vice-captain said the new deal was a load off her mind.
"It has built my confidence going into the next season and from here it's just building on my strength and making sure I come back better than last year," she said.
"I'll be obviously build on the TSLW playing a few games there, waiting for the [AFLW] season to come."
But Bannister admitted her employer could restrict the number of TSLW games as North Melbourne cautiously manages her workload.
"They will monitor me throughout the whole season so I'll play a couple of games here or there," she said.
"Obviously, I want to get a couple of games under my belt, but I will keep the communication open with North to see what happens from here on."
Andrew Mathieson
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
