Alastair Clarkson was direct after watching his improving North Melbourne side concede 14 goals in a half against Adelaide, declaring that the contest was effectively over before the main break.
"We had a terrible quarter and they played some of the best footy we've seen in place since probably last year when they were top of the ladder," Clarkson said. "They just smacked us in the contest, which is disappointing because it just came from left field. They were cleaner, they were tougher, they tackled and they just controlled the ball, and nearly every time they went inside 50, it turned into a converted opportunity for them."
The seasoned coach admitted that simply hauling his side back to the rooms for halftime had become the urgent priority by the midway mark of the second term. "We just needed the halftime siren to sound at about the 10-minute mark of the second quarter just so we could settle our guys down," Clarkson said. "We were able to do that at halftime and then at least make it more competitive in the second half with six goals each."
Clarkson was unambiguous about why he was conceding mid-half. "It was game over at halftime because what happened in the second quarter, 10 goals to zero, doesn't happen very often in league footy," he said. "We're extremely disappointed with that. But we feel like we've made a lot of ground this season, and that's been our worst performance for the year. Hopefully that's the last we see of that type of effort in the second quarter."
The coach was generous in his post-match assessment of Matthew Nicks's group. "You've got to give credit to the Adelaide Crows," Clarkson said. "They played some terrific football and beat us in the contest. Out-worked us, out-tackled us, did everything you could possibly want from a side. They were able to do everything that you didn't want from a side. So where's it come from? Don't know, because we haven't seen it for the year. There's part of us to say, well, treat it like an aberration and get on with it next week."
Pressed on whether the Adelaide Oval atmosphere may have unsettled his side, Clarkson rebuffed the suggestion. "No four goal post at either end and green grass," he quipped. "If we were worried about that, they would have kicked 10 in the first quarter, wouldn't they? We started the game really well. The play was played in our half for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the game, we scored two goals four. Had that been four goals two and you know, they might have to make a couple of changes, but we just couldn't capitalise on the scoreboard early."
Clarkson said the focus would now turn to a quick reset before facing Gold Coast next week. "We've got to get ourselves back on the bike again," he said. "There's no point jumping up and down about it. We're disappointed, the players are disappointed that for them it came from nowhere as well. We just train hard and understand that drop your guard against any opposition, you're going to get belted, and that's what happened to us in the second quarter."
Asked about Colby McKercher's role after the youngster was shifted across multiple lines as Adelaide piled on pressure, Clarkson conceded changes were thrown together rather than calmly planned. "We were trying to put bandaids on a hell of a lot of big wounds in the second quarter, whether that was Colby or any other player, to be fair. We were getting smacked in every part of the ground. So it's just like we're trying to repair everything."
Clarkson confirmed an injury concern around Davis Yuniaak, who came off late in the final quarter holding his knee, while saying he was awaiting an update from the medical staff. "Hopefully we'll be okay, but yeah, that happened in the last five seconds, so I can't give you an update on what's going on there."
