IF YOU suggested Carlton would be the team who had a shot at knocking North Melbourne off a 31-game winning streak as little as two years ago, you'd be laughed out of the room.

But strong form, an even stronger list, and a not-so-secret game plan tweak has the third-place Blues as ready as they've ever been to take on the mighty Roos.

"We're really excited with where our game's at, and we think that our best is right up there with the competition," coach Mathew Buck said after the round four win over Collingwood.

"The intensity we bring to this game (against the Pies), or the intensity we brought to the Freo game, that's the intensity we want to bring to all games, even next week's. 

"It's a great opportunity to grow and get better and that's what we'll chase."

Six years ago, Carlton and North Melbourne were scheduled to play in a preliminary final that never happened, cancelled during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blues were coming off a Grand Final loss the year prior, but were a much-improved side, and the Roos were flying high.

From that moment, North Melbourne steadily rose, becoming the all-powerful behemoth that has won 31 games on the trot (and 33 undefeated).

By contrast, Carlton began to slide, missing the finals the following year and sitting firmly as a mediocre 10th-14th placed team for the next five seasons.

Last year saw the jump to a preliminary final, and for now, Carlton has backed it up, defeating St Kilda, Adelaide, Fremantle and Collingwood – but the toughest task of all awaits.

The forward handball game took the AFL men's world by storm at the start of the year, with Sydney leading the way when it came to charging through the middle of the ground, sharing the ball by hand.

In the women's space, forward handballs – which are timed to land with the player perfectly in stride at full pace, so they don't have to stop and wait for the ball to land in their hands – have been dominated by Carlton.

When it comes to raw handball numbers, the Blues have increased their average count of overall disposals by handball from 100.8 last year to 133.8 this year.

Then comes the extraordinary numbers of metres gained by forward handball, a stat the AFL is closely watching when it comes to the development of the women's game this year.

The competition average is 215.1m. North Melbourne, unsurprisingly, is above that, at 253.2m gained. 

Carlton? An astonishing 360.1m gained by hand, comfortably the highest in the League. 

Opposition players who have come up against Carlton so far this year highlighted to AFL.com.au the forward handball as the key weapon for the team, as well as the Blues' midfielders' ability to physically stand up under tackle pressure and get a handball away.

The Blues' structure has been drilled as such over the past 18 months that if a player is under pressure and being tackled, they instinctively know there will be a teammate on the outside ready to feed the ball forward.

The Blues are third overall for average disposals, with North Melbourne first, and Melbourne second. They're also cleaner than they were last year, from 60.9 per cent efficiency to 67.7 – just above the Roos at 66.4.

When it comes to key personnel, Harriet Cordner is the leading intercept player in the game, and has formed a tight key defensive trio with the unheralded Maddy Hendrie and Ciara Fitzgerald. Amelia Velardo and one of Gab Pound or Brooke Vickers are there to look after the smalls.

The Blues now have genuine layers to their midfield, rolling a whopping seven players (not including rucks) through the centre bounce against Collingwood.

Abbie McKay, Mimi Hill and Claudia Whitfort are their usual trio. Lily Goss provides the defensive pressure, Keeley Sherar is an almost forgotten club best and fairest winner, while Erone Fitzpatrick mostly wheels on the wing after the acquisition of Whitfort from Gold Coast.

Even the Roos don't play that many through the middle, with Ash Riddell, Jas Garner, Eilish Sheerin, Ruby Tripodi and Bella Eddey the chosen quintet last weekend.

Carlton has had 12 players kick a goal this year – with the unlikely duo of Lila Keck and Nell Morris-Dalton leading the way with five apiece – with North also recording 12 goalkickers, albeit with much higher tallies (Tahlia Randall leading with 11).

It was just shy of 12 months ago when these two teams last met, also at Arden Street, with the Roos squashing the Blues back into their place with an imperious 53-point win.

Sunday's game will show just how far Carlton has come in a year, and the forward handball technique may just be the way to knock North Melbourne off its perch.