Crows' climb an AFL rebuild beacon for Kangaroos

In doing so, they clinched top spot and set a new record for climbing the greatest number of ladder positions from one season to the next.

Adelaide finished 15th last year and will play finals next month for the first time since losing the 2017 season decider.

Clarkson believes a similar leap - if perhaps not quite so meteoric - is within the realms of possibility for North Melbourne.

"I wish the Adelaide Crows all the best," Clarkson said.

"They're a little bit like Brisbane last year - I was rapt that they won it - because it just shows North Melbourne and all our supporters that it can be done.

"Adelaide jumping from 15th to get on top of the ladder shows it can be done, and we ran that side right to the wire today."

North (5-17-1) will finish a sixth consecutive year in the bottom three and have not won more than five games in a season since 2019.

Clarkson indicated the Kangaroos will attack the trade period and free agency market but expects most of next season's improvement to come from within their existing playing group.

They don't have a first-round draft pick in 2025, having traded it to Richmond in a huge gamble that netted young key position player Matt Whitlock last year.

"It's a really, really difficult path forward - as tough as it has ever been in the game," Clarkson said.

"Clubs and supporters and media and everyone involved in the game get really, really impatient and you think it could be done a hell of a lot quicker.

"But all I know is it's like the duck; it looks like nothing too much is happening on the top (of the water) but we're paddling like all buggery underneath.

"A lot of hard work's being done and we feel like we're on the right path, but we hope that we start climbing the ladder a bit more next year."

North Melbourne's five wins - plus a draw against Brisbane - is their best return in six years but only enough to finish 16th.

The Kangaroos have not played finals since 2016.