For the second year in a row North Melbourne have ended their AFL finals campaign on a sour note, farewelling a club great with heads bowed after a shocking defeat.
In 2007, the Kangaroos formed a guard of honour at AAMI Stadium as games record-holder Glenn Archer walked off the field for the last time following North's 87-point loss in the preliminary final against Port Adelaide.
Coach Dean Laidley insisted after Saturday night's 35-point elimination final exit at the hands of Sydney at ANZ Stadium that this year's team was better-equipped to make a run at the premiership.
The Kangaroos led by 10 points at halftime but were outscored 13 goals to five in the second half, unable to match the midfield dominance of Brett Kirk and ruckman Darren Jolly.
Laidley lamented after the game that No.1 ruckman Hamish McIntosh's knee injury had unbalanced the side, with McIntosh left out of the team because he wasn't back to full fitness.
In greasy conditions, North's goals came from Brent Harvey, David Hale, Ed Lower and 301-gamer Shannon Grant with two each.
Grant, 31, was applauded off the ground by his teammates after playing his 301st and final match before a disappointing crowd of 19,127.
Laidley described the loss, North's sixth in their past seven finals, as "very disappointing".
"It is disappointing for Shannon Grant. It really is disappointing to go out on that note," Laidley said of the 1999 Norm Smith medallist.
Grant said: "To capitulate the way we did was probably the most disappointing thing.
"Yeah I thought we were (closer to being a premiership threat this year).
"The way we played in that six-week bracket (with six consecutive wins from rounds 15 to 20) before the last two or three weeks, we played really good footy.
"I really thought the group had come of age and we'd really taken steps forward. But as a group we've probably gone backwards now."
