North Melbourne’s finals chances take major blow with ‘worst’ performance of the year

North Melbourne’s chances at breaking a decade-long finals drought in 2026 may have just been crushed at the Adelaide Oval with a poor showing on Saturday afternoon, with coach Alastair Clarkson conceding it was his side’s worst performance of the season.

The Roos were beaten comfortably by a dominant Adelaide outfit, 9.11 (65) to 20.13 (133), following a 10-goal second quarter by the Crows that had North trailing by 66 points at halftime.

«We had a terrible, terrible quarter and they played some of the best footy we’ve seen them play since probably last year,» Clarkson admitted post-game.

«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.

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«Pleasingly, we were at least able to stem the flow a little bit in the second half and not have that become a real blow out.

«But still really disappointing because we’ve been a hell of a lot better than that, and it’s probably our worst quarter for the year by a long way.»

The Roos were on track to feature in September for the first time since 2016, ending round six in fifth position on the ladder with a record of 4-2.

But after a softer draw to start the season, Clarkson’s side has not been able to land a scalp since, losing four in a row to GWS, Geelong, Sydney and Adelaide.

They now sit outside the wildcard picture in 12th place, with their percentage having plummeted to 96.7

North Melbourne’s finals chances take major blow with ‘worst’ performance of the year

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