"We have a lot of work to do” - North Melbourne Kangaroos coach Alistair Clarkson reacts to 45-point defeat to Hawthorn Hawks

North Melbourne coach Alistair Clarkson acknowledged his side still needs to do a lot of work after the Kangaroos suffered a sixth consecutive season defeat in a 45-point loss (68-113) to the Hawthorn Hawks.

Both sides entered the game searching for a first win of the season, but it was the Hawks who came out victorious. The loss leaves the Kangaroos as the only winless team left in the league this season.

The Hawks dominated every quarter of the match. A run of nine unanswered goals in the first half sealed the win for the visiting team against a lackluster Alistair Clarkson side.

After the game, the North Melbourne coach was honest about his team's performance, admitting the Hawks played better. He said (as quoted via Fox Sports):

“Sometimes we were out with the footy and just butchered the ball when we had chances where we could have got ourselves back into the contest with some easy ball movement, and we’d miss a target or fumble a ground ball, drop a mark."

He further added that his side will have to up their game by doing more going forward:

"We know we have a lot of work to do irrespective of the result today.

“We know where we’re at as a footy club and it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get ourselves back up the ladder. We put our hands up and say we weren’t good enough."

North Melbourne are rock bottom in the league table with no points after six games.

What fixtures lie ahead for the winless North Melbourne?

The North Melbourne Kangaroos are still searching for their first win of the 2024 AFL season after six rounds. They'll hope to pick a win in their next set of games, as they face Adelaide, St Kilda, and Gold Coast in their next three AFL fixtures.

After their recent 68-113 loss to the Hawthorn Hawks, they'll look to build on constructive criticism as Coach Clarkson admitted his team needs to work harder to turn their season around.