NORTH Melbourne has emerged as the ultimate wildcard in the race for Sydney's AFLW superstar Zippy Fish, with rivals aware the reigning Rising Star winner is growing increasingly likely to explore her options at season's end.

Multiple clubs have registered a strong interest in Fish, who is uncontracted at the end of the 2026 season, with the dominant AFLW powerhouse Kangas among the most prominent of them.

Sydney remains determined to re-sign Fish and had tried to engage in extending her contract last year, but has been aware of her interest in assessing her options at season's end.

North Melbourne is armed with multiple first-round picks to facilitate a trade, having completed a pick swap with Carlton during last year's window, and is understood to have the cap space to secure a player of Fish's ability.

West Coast, Carlton and Hawthorn had headlined a group of teams in the hunt for Fish – and numerous others are understood to have tried to muscle into contention for the star youngster – though all parties have long been both acutely aware and wary of North Melbourne's considerable interest in the midfielder.

Fish is coming to the end of her initial two-year draftee contract, following a maiden campaign where she claimed the Telstra AFLW Rising Star award and quickly emerged as one of the best young players in the competition.

West Coast remains another strong option in the hunt for Fish, given she is from Western Australia, though there is a view the youngster could favour a move to Victoria ahead of the 2027 season.

North Melbourne's interest in Fish comes amid the backdrop of rival anger at the club's dominance over the AFLW competition in recent seasons, particularly following its recent recruitment of both Eilish Sheerin and Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner.

A handful of clubs complained about the AFLW's competitive balance systems in the wake of Weston-Turner, a former No.1 pick, requesting a trade to the Kangas last year in the midst of the side's run at a second straight premiership.

However, others have acknowledged that similar situations have unfolded in the men's competition in recent seasons and significantly also occurred last year when the reigning back-to-back premier Brisbane lured both Oscar Allen and Sam Draper as free agents weeks after winning the second of their flags.

North Melbourne's men's program has also been on the opposite end of similar challenges, having lost former No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis to Port Adelaide just 12 months after he arrived at Arden Street as the draft's top selection.

Sydney could turn a Fish trade into multiple first-round picks to match a bid on a handful of Academy prospects considered top 20 players in this year's pool, having traded out its original 2026 selection in a deal for Taylor Smith last December.

North Melbourne's AFLW side has now won 29 consecutive games, and is also 31 straight games unbeaten, with Darren Crocker's side seen as the overwhelming favourites to secure a third successive premiership later this year.

Fish, the No.5 selection in the AFLW's 2024 draft, received the maximum 50 votes to secure the Rising Star award in 2025, a campaign where she played in all 12 matches for Sydney and averaged 21 disposals per game.