Brett Ratten has enjoyed being North Melbourne's caretaker coach but is hoping to hand back the reins to Alastair Clarkson following a drought-breaking win.
The Kangaroos will head to Perth this Sunday desperate to end a 16-game losing streak when they face hapless West Coast at Optus Stadium.
North's last victory came at the same venue, way back in round two when they upset Fremantle.
The Kangaroos also defeated the Eagles a week earlier at Marvel Stadium, starting Clarkson's time at Arden St in style.
But reality has set in since, with North guaranteed to finish bottom-two for the fourth-straight season.
Ratten will coach North for the 10th and final game before Clarkson returns to lead the Kangaroos full-time after he stepped away in May to look after his mental health amid the strain of the Hawthorn racism saga.
"Just counting down the days, and post the press conference on Sunday will be the finale," Ratten told reporters on Wednesday of his time in charge at North.
"I’ve had some real enjoyment, it’s been a shame we’ve been close without the victory.
"If we play like we did last week (against St Kilda), we’re going to give ourselves a chance. If we play like the Hawthorn (game), we're not going to give ourselves any chance."
A defeat to West Coast would take North to their worst losing streak since 1971 when they were beaten in 17-straight matches.
But the Kangaroos will regain co-captain Jy Simpkin for the cellar-dweller clash following the star midfielder's struggle with concussion.
West Coast (1-17) have plummeted to new lows since their last meeting with North, having lost a club-record 16-straight games following their round-two triumph over GWS.
The Eagles have won just three of their last 44 games to place serious pressure on 2018 premiership coach Adam Simpson.
