![IN ACTION: Emma Kearney fires out a handball during the 2020 AFLW season. Picture: Getty Images IN ACTION: Emma Kearney fires out a handball during the 2020 AFLW season. Picture: Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/sean.hardeman/e4efa4bd-ff93-4739-8459-c1196968820a.jpg/r0_0_5004_3647_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
EMMA Kearney's version of getting her hands dirty is usually her dominating an AFLW field.
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But with the coronavirus lockdown in place the 30-year-old has traded the tight confines of her Melbourne apartment for the open air of her family's farm in Cavendish.
"It's been quite nice and given me a chance to spend time with the parents and there is heaps of space for me to get out and about for walks without pumping into people," she said.
"I am still working full-time with The Huddle (North Melbourne's community program) but I have been doing some odd jobs for dad.
"I helped him with sheering last week doing some morning shifts and early starts and on weekends. That's what I have been loving (since coming home).
"I'm quite an active person and always on the go and for me to get my hands dirty it has been quite a nice change compared to being back in my apartment in Melbourne driving myself crazy."
Kearney said returning home made her realise how much she missed being on a farm and is heavily considering, when her decorated football career does come to a close, getting her own.
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The North Melbourne midfielder has every right to re-immerse herself on the family farm after another stellar season.
The Kangaroos skipper created AFLW history with Melbourne's Karen Paxman after becoming the only two players to score an All-Australian blazer in every year of the elite competition.
She also finished third in the AFLW best and fairest behind Madison Prespakis (Carlton) and Kiara Bowers (Fremantle). She was also pipped by Jas Garner for North Melbourne's.
The prolific ball winner, who played in all seven of the Kangaroos' games before the season was called off, said she was proud of how the side played in 2020.
"As a team we stated off slow and it probably took us two or three rounds to click and after that we just built confidence in the back end of the year and played some good footy," she said.
"We started playing how we wanted to play and that was really pleasing and to the cap it off winning the club's first finals game was a significant step for us."
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Kearney felt the Kangaroos were a big chance to secure their first premiership before the season was cancelled after their semi-final victory over Collingwood due to the coronavirus lockdowns.
"We were playing well enough to beat any side we had come across," she said.
"We did lose to Melbourne and we hadn't come across Carlton and they were the two teams to knock off if we were to win it.
"Out of those teams they all would have had good chances to win a flag but we felt we had the depth across all areas of ground to go far."
Kearney, who averaged 21 disposals this season, believes another pre-season and a strong off-season of recruitment would have the Kangaroos well placed for another crack in 2021.
The Monivae College graduate is hoping she will also come back a much better player and leader to help drive the Kangaroos to premiership success, something she achieved at the Western Bulldogs in 2018.
"I have been working on my tackling and kicking," she said.
"They are still a bit of a work in progress and throughout the off-season it's something that I have tried to focus on.
"And my marking as well. I'm much better when it goes to ground, as I am a bit vertically challenged, and it's not always going to be one of my strengths but if I can improve it by 10 or 20 per cent it will go a long way to improving my game."
Kearney is happy to continue leading the Kangaroos into her third season at the club but she is more eager to continue helping to develop her fellow leaders.
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