Alastair Clarkson concedes the "fizz" went out of North Melbourne and says rebuilding AFL clubs is trickier than it has ever been.
The Kangaroos mentor, however, said the blue and white faithful could draw some inspiration from a competitive half of the year.
North were routed by 124 points at the hands of Hawthorn on Saturday in Launceston in the final round.
They finished second last on the ladder with just three wins and have ended up in the bottom two at season's end since 2020 - including two wooden spoons.
They conceded 110 points on average per game in 2024 - the worst in the AFL.
The club copped a 96-point hammering from the Western Bulldogs in the penultimate round, a week after butchering multiple leads against West Coast.
"We dropped a game against West Coast we should have won," Clarkson said.
"The fizz fell out of our season. We're a bit banged up, we've got some sore boys.
"It's hard when there is not too much to play for in the last couple of weeks.
"(But) we don't want to dismiss what has transpired in the second half of the year.
"For 10 of the 12 games … we were really strong and competitive."
Clarkson said he could draw inspiration from former club Hawthorn's rise to the top eight, as well as others including Melbourne who have turned their fortunes around.
The premiership winning coach, in his second year with North Melbourne, denied the rebuild was bigger than first thought.
"We knew it was always going to be tough yards," he said.
"It's actually more difficult now than it has ever been with the compromised draft, father-son (rules) and (talent) academies.
"It makes it more difficult and it's hard to get top-end talent through the draft. Your rebuild is more difficult.
"(But) we feel like we're on the right track as a footy club."
