North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos forward Daria Bannister has admitted there were times she doubted her ability to play AFLW football.

Knee and collarbone injuries restricted the forward to just four senior games in three years, but she has not missed a game in the 2021 AFLW season, making herself and indispensable part of the North forward line.

It’s been a breakout year so far for Bannister, who has four goals across six games and impressed fans with her physicality, marking and x-factor.

“I did question whether my body could handle being in the AFLW competition … after re-injuring myself,” Bannister told The Advocate.

“It was definitely a tough time, so that makes it even more special to be able to play some consistent football.”

North are taking on a fired-up Western Bulldogs side tonight at North Hobart Oval, where they will be looking to extend their winning run in Tasmania to 6-0.

Bannister arrived at North from the Bulldogs in 2019, and is still in touch with some of her former teammates.

With both sides competing for positions in the top six, she says it’s important for the team not to look too far ahead of themselves.

“We need to play our way and keep the momentum going,” she said.

“I’m just looking to play my role up forward and have an impact … we’ll just take it one week at a time.

“It’s a very tough finish for all teams … we’ll just have to keep bringing our pressure.”