North Melbourne understands that their improvement is not "linear" but is still looking at the positives.
On Saturday, the Kangaroos lowered their colours after an impressive five-week stretch yielded two wins and three close losses.
Facing the ladder-leaders Sydney at the SCG was no easy feat, but as the game progressed, the young Roos were outclassed, leading to a 79-point rout.
However, North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson is still buoyant that games like this can assist with development, showcasing the level the club needs to get to to contend in the future.
"It's all experience for these young players, we've got (Harry) Sheezel, (George) Wardlaw and (Tom) Powell and these guys that are just building their resume in terms of exposure to senior AFL footy,โ Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said.
"(Tristan) Xerri the ruck playing against (Brodie) Grundy; Grundy's played 200 games, Xerri has played 50.
"The exposure that they get to these types of contests, you just wish improvement and growth as a footy club is all linear, but you have your ups and downs. We've been pretty good for the last month and a bit but we well and truly lowered our colours today.โ
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The Kangaroos conceded 64 inside 50s and struggled to get their hands on the ball after the first quarter.
Clarkson lamented missed tackles and scores from stoppage, with the Swans slotting a dozen goals from the source.
"This is all just a learning curve," Clarkson continued.
"The growth and benefit we got out of playing the game... we played the benchmark side of the competition, sitting two or three games clear of every other side in the comp, which is for good reason.
"And we saw that first hand.
"And if all we get out of today's game is understanding where the gap is between the side that is on top of the ladder and where we are, then we know we got to roll the sleeves up and get to work.
"It's going to take a lot of work to get there but we're up for the fight."
North Melbourne will get a chance to redeem themselves when they take on Carlton next week.
