North Melbourne's on-field battles continued in a year that generated two wins, handing them wooden spoon honours as a result of an 18th-place finish under the watch of exiting coach David Noble.
An early taste of success against an undermanned Eagles outfit opened their account before a losing streak of 14 games was snapped with an inspired performance opposed to Richmond.
Under the roof at Marvel the North faithful roared with a passionate rendition of their club song, which rounded their year on somewhat of a positive note, made sweeter by the return of Ben Cunnington.
With the off-season period welcoming in a proven senior head coach in Alastair Clarkson, as well as a host of recruits walking through the same doors as some new talented draftees, a sense of promise can be attached to 2023.
And with that in mind, we take a look at the five burning questions the Roos face this year.
Among the few positives to take from North Melbourne's 2022 campaign was the brilliance of emerging midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke.
In what was the hard-nosed onballer's fifth season at Arden Street, the 23-year-old put the rest of his side on his back to piece together dominant performance after dominant performance, however often coming in losing battles.
Wanting to see more grass shoots this season, Roos fans will be hopeful Davies-Unaicke isn't left alone as the club's go-to midfielder, with best and fairest winner Jy Simpkin playing a helping hand without much further support.
With the likes of Ben Cunnington having a full pre-season under his belt, coupled with the development of former first-round picks Will Phillips and Tom Powell, the Roos have a number of options to assist their leading men in midfield.
Looking to prove their on the right course as they eye an eventual return to premiership contention, it'll take more than one or two stars to carry the workload.
The trade period offered up a fruitful return for North Melbourne fans, securing the services of a pair of Dockers in key defensive pillar Griffin Logue and dynamic midfielder Darcy Tucker.
Logue will alleviate the pressures off lockdown defender Ben Mckay, who played a lone hand as the glue in their defensive six set up in 2022, and will be encouraged by the help of the 24-year-old.
Often utilised as a swingman under the watching eyes of former coach Justin Longmuir, Clarkson will reportedly not be as adventurous with the versatility of Logue drifting forward as an option.
After battling untimely injuries sustained during the 2022 season, Tucker was unable to find consistency in stringing games together with the lack of minutes contributing to his move back home.
The returning statesman in Tucker will ply his trade in the engine room, alongside ball magnets 'LDU' and Simpkin, with the work of ruckmen Tristan Xerri and Todd Goldstein to be admired from down below.
Clarkson will throw the magnets around with the 26-year-old capable of filling a hole on the wing with permission to roam free, or be granted a wish to move forward on a rotation-based positional change.
At the top of the draft tree stands Harry Sheezel, snapped up with Pick 3, the game-changing nature of the Sandringham Dragons product had list management staff circling to land his signature.
The abundance of X-factor written in the scouting report of Sheezel will be on display as early as Round 1, with the prized 18-year-old a ready-made star at the top end of the talent pool.
Another highly touted draft hopeful looking to cement a spot in the season opener is 182cm George Wardlaw, a classy onballer that learnt his midfield craft in the Oakleigh Chargers system.
Wardlaw will add depth to a well-balanced engine room headed up one-half of the club's new captaincy pairing with Jy Simpkin, while Luke Davies-Uniacke, Ben Cunnington and Will Phillips will also rotate through the middle.
With knee issues hampering his campaign in the penultimate development year, Brayden George failed to fully flex his muscles in his season playing as a medium-sized forward for the Murray Bushrangers.
George still showed enough to impress North recruiters with his aerial prowess a likeable trait, coupled with his clean hands to add another avenue to goal in the attacking half for the Roos.
Father-son selection Cooper Harvey will lace up the boots in the blue and white stripes, carrying the famous surname with him, and the ability to play the small forward role as well as a handy inside midfielder.
Clarkson will be on hand to nurse this next generation of up-and-comers through year one, understanding the importance of gifting this young crop games under their belt in order to succeed in the big time.
North fans will dare to dream under their newly appointed head coach Alastair Clarkson, but admittedly with a mere understanding their transitional period is in full swing after a testing last two seasons.
Successive wooden spoon finishes have the Roos facing the daunting prospect of adding a third in three years, but a few rungs higher on the ladder will be in Clarkson's eye.
An even ledger seems a world away after notching up a two-win season in 2022, it is hard to hazard a guess on where their attainable goals sit, with a competitive on-field show all to be asked.
With his old side Hawthorn relatively at a similar point in their development, with his predecessor Sam Mitchell in charge at Waverley Park, the two rebuilds will be a talking point this year.
For Clarkson to take the job shows both a sense of self-confidence within his own ability and the fact the Roos list presents itself full of promise, if nurtured correctly under capable hands.
With some exciting early draft picks joining his brigade, coupled with some stars on the rise, North Melbourne's list isn't all too different from the one that Clarkson adopted in his first season with Hawthorn.