North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos champion Emma Kearney says she is still battling the effects of Covid-19, two weeks after her withdrawal from the Roos' AFLW season opener.

"I suppose with the Covid stuff sometimes you feel back to normal, but then sometimes you do a bit of exercise or don't sleep as well and get quite fatigued," Kearney told the Herald-Sun.

Having missed the side's opening win against Geelong, Kearney returned to lead the Kangaroos in Sunday's round two defeat to the Crows, but said she suffered further bad luck after the match.

"I think I got struck down with a bit of food poisoning post the game against Adelaide, so the flight home was pretty rough," she said. 

"I am feeling a little bit drained. From what the doctors say it’s not Covid related but it is a bit of a double whammy.

"For most of us who have had [Covid-19] we have lost our appetite. Having to force yourself to eat, to fuel yourself so you’re right to go performance-wise can be a challenge.

"There were certainly times on the weekend where I was feeling the effects of Covid.

"I was blowing pretty hard. Mind you, it is a game of footy though and you work hard."

Though Kearney described her Covid symptoms as "mild and cold-like", she said the virus had also been debilitating at times.

"You’d start doing a little bit of activity, gym at home and things like that and you’d get really fatigued and then headaches come.

"Certainly not feeling at my best, so the week leading into this round's game, the first training session back on Tuesday I felt pretty ordinary, especially in the first half.

"I'd do a sprint effort and you feel fatigued and have to sort of stop, as I got my second wind though I felt a bit better.

"During Thursday night’s session I felt back to normal with far less fatigue.

"It was certainly tough during my isolation period. Moments where I felt good and then all of a sudden you’d go downhill pretty quickly."

The Kangaroos return to Arden St on Sunday for the AFLW's Pride Round, and Kearney said the occasion would be "really special".

"AFLW has always been a place where people from the LGBTQIA+ community have always been really welcomed," said Kearney, who identifies as gay and is in a relationship with St Kilda vice-captain Kate Shierlaw.

"It’s a way to showcase the amazing role models that we do have in the W space.

"It just shows you that we are leading the way with inclusivity and making sure people feel welcomed and that they belong."

"It’s something we should celebrate more often but unfortunately, we are in 2022 and yet to see an openly gay AFL footballer, whereas in the AFLW space, well over half of the playing cohort would be openly gay. It’s a very sad reality that we live in," Kearney said.

"It’s gendered stereotypes. In terms of what a gay man is, they’re more feminine apparently. It’s those nasty gendered roles which are causing issues but it’s also the homophobia that still exists.

"Just one look at (openly gay A-League men's player) Josh Cavallo, the abuse that he cops. To be honest it's a society issue. Something needs to change and it’s the way that we showcase what a man should be and what a woman should be, it’s not one size fits all - it’s a diverse range.

"Social media companies need to start being more accountable to that online bullying. As good as social media can be, it gives people a platform to just say whatever they want which can have a hugely negative impact on not only the person that they are targeting but other people reading it."