North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney is set to make her long-awaited return in the team’s preliminary final against Port Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.

The 35-year-old hasn’t played since Week 5 of the home-and-away season after injuring her right hamstring early in the first quarter of the Kangaroos’ win over Richmond. 

"Emma will play this weekend after training well on Wednesday morning," North Melbourne general manager of women’s football Erin Lorenzini said.

"It is a credit to her dedication to the team, with Emma doing everything in her power to return during finals whilst continuing to support the team as much as she could from the sidelines.

"We look forward to having her experience and leadership back out there in such an important game."

An eight-time All-Australian, Kearney was appointed the Kangaroos' inaugural captain in 2019 and was backed in by her teammates to lead the side for the seventh consecutive season in 2024.