Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said his side will rue missed opportunities following their 36-point loss to the Adelaide Crows.
Entering the match full of spirit after their 59-point demolition of Melbourne, the Kangaroos were comfortably beaten by a rampaging Crows outfit that continued its undefeated start.
Clarkson said in the post-match press conference that his team lacked polish in the final third.
โWhen we got an opportunity to have the open play ourselves, we just found a way to muck up a handball or muck up a kick,โ Clarkson said post-game.
โIt just didn't allow us to convert those turnover chances โ Adelaide, in that space, was a little bit more consistent, more polished, and cleaner with the footy.โ
Although North Melbourne boasts the youngest playing list in the competition (23.8 years on average), Clarkson said he is not using youth as an excuse for their dip in performance.
โWe don't want to use that as an out โ they were able to produce it last week,โ he said.
One of their young guns, Harry Sheezel, has seen a slight dip in form compared to 2024. Although he collected 26 disposals on the weekend, the 20-year-old lacked his usual effectiveness by foot.
โHe hasn't been as good as he'd like,โ Clarkson said.
โBy his standards, he's been a little bit quieter at the start of this year than he'd like, but he's a pro - he'll get himself going pretty soon.โ
Ruckman Tristan Xerri was the only injury concern for the Kangaroos, leaving the game with a hamstring issue.
The 202cm big man spent time on the bench but returned to play out the match, with Clarkson relaying that there shouldn't be any major concerns.
"He just had an awareness from stretching out of a ruck contest. He came to get assessed, but the docs checked him over, and he ended up playing the rest of the game, so he should be OK," Clarkson said.
