North Melbourne coach Brad Scott was left 'bitterly disappointed' with his side's 14-point loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night.
The former Lions star was still visibly agitated when he fronted media 30 minutes after his Kangaroos became the first team to lose to Brisbane this season.
Scott lamented his side's second-half fade, in which they saw a 19-point lead in the third quarter eaten away by the Jonathan Brown-led Lions, and said the game had been there's for the taking.
"We had the game in our grasp and we let it slip. It's a game we lost... we couldn't match their intensity," he said.
"We had the game in our control at halftime and we couldn't finish the job."
"It was just undisciplined in the end."
"They lifted and we just stopped to a walk in the last quarter. That's why I'm so disappointed."
"I'm as bitterly disappointed as I've been this year."
The Kangaroos seemed in control of the contest, continually dominating the contested possessions, but their two-point final-quarter effort showed they still require significant growth.
"It was a game that we had well and truly in our grasp. We didn't take our opportunities from the amount of ball we had in the first half," said Scott.
"(We were) just dominating in the clearance area and dominating in the contested possession area. If you can really dominate in those areas, the game should be played on your terms."
"It's probably a sign of where we're at the moment that we just can't put those sides away when we should."
While Scott wasn’t looking to take positives from another loss – the Roos' sixth from eight starts this season – he had to pay credit to debutant Luke Delaney, who managed to keep Brown quiet and goalless through the first half.
"He's been probably our form one-on-one defender in both levels (reserve and senior), and I thought he performed really well," said Scott.