After years of heartbreak, the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have finally broken through for a Grand Final berth, and those agonising losses themselves may have just been the reason why.

The Roos lost home-and-away matches to all of Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane this year, and have now beaten both the Demons and Crows in the finals series, with the Lions to come in the decider.

"I said to the group even before the game – you have to earn the right to get into a Grand Final. Preliminary finals are so hard to get through," coach Darren Crocker said.

"Whether there was a bit of resolve from last year, whether there's been a bit of resolve from some of the close losses we've had this year – I thought in the last quarter, the players were just super, the way they just found, they dug really, really deep.

"We probably didn't play our best footy at times, and Adelaide would probably say the same, it was a bit of a struggle for both teams, to try and get the game looking the way both teams would have liked. That win was full of character."

Skipper Emma Kearney both arrived and left the stadium wearing a facemask, having battled illness in the past few days.

KANGAROOS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

"'Kearns' is a bit under the weather. I can't speak highly enough of Emma Kearney and the way she can find a way. She's been a little bit sick late in the week, probably wasn't feeling 100 per cent today," Crocker said.

"Again, she's so important to us off half-back, the way she sets up, the way she mops up and for her to be able to find a way to get out there and win, is all credit to 'Kearns'."

Crocker confirmed Irish recruit Niamh Martin did not have to undergo a HIA after a couple of heavy knocks, instead finishing the game with "a sore jaw and a fat lip."