A transcript of Brad Scott’s post-match media conference following North Melbourne’s loss to Fremantle.

Q: Brad, is it starting to get frustrating losing the close ones?

Scott: Yeah, it’s frustrating for everyone. Probably not the least our supporters but our players are hurting more than anyone.

They’re not getting the reward for effort for most of the game, not executing the way we want when it really matters. A couple of games this year, the opposition’s really good players have got going in the last quarter when it really matters and we haven’t been able to respond to that even though you control them for three, three and a half quarters. It’s getting frustrating.

Q: Do you put that down to inexperience amongst the group?

Scott: It’s a factor, (but) a lot of the guys have played enough footy to execute things that we do in training really well. But under pressure we didn’t execute it.

The style that we’re playing, like all young teams we’re going to be vulnerable at times. I’d much rather be sitting here saying we’ve pushed a lot of good teams along the way because there’s a lot to like.

We’ve been here before. 2013 we were probably playing a lot above where most metrics would have put us, and we lost a hell of a lot of close games to just miss the finals.

Statistically a really good year for us, but the stat that mattered most was closing out close games. We addressed that, in 14, 15, 16 was pretty reasonable in that area, we won some pretty big games and some finals.

Now we’re back there again where we’ve got some young guys coming in. We’ve played 30 players this year already and debuted another one tonight. With inexperience comes a bit of vulnerability but they’ve got to learn quick because it’s a tight competition and 0-5 means it’s a long way back but it’s not insurmountable.

Q: How much does it become mental now in losing those close games, and when it pops up again knowing it hasn’t gone your way in the past?

Scott: I don’t reckon even Sigmund Freud could tell you that and give you a solid enough answer. If there’s a pattern that emerges you’ve got to address things. Coming through the other side of that always makes you stronger, that’s for sure. But if you don’t come through it, well you’ve got to make changes.

We’re in a position where we can make changes even though we’ve played 30 this year. The big picture pattern is there, we’ve lost three close ones this year. They’ve been last year’s premier, Geelong who haven’t lost a game to this point and Fremantle at home. It’s not as if we’ve been playing really poor teams. I’m pleased with the situation we’re in in terms of we’re challenging really good sides but this is what coaching is about, taking a young group through some tough times when you’re just not getting the reward for your effort and not being able to close out crucial times.

Q: At 0-5 now, what do you try and get out of the rest of the season?

Scott: There’s 17 other home and away games, so we’ll try and win them.

Q: This (0-5) would suggest that finals are insurmountable from here…

Scott: The last time North Melbourne were 0-4 they won a premiership in 1975. How far do you go back in history, we’ve got 17 games to go.

Q: How significant are the injuries to the likes of Ziebell, Brown and Goldstein?

Scott: They were significant tonight, but the fact that they came back on is really positive. They certainly got hurt at the wrong times, not that there’s ever a good time.

The fact they came on suggests they should be right for next week.

Q: Any of them that you’re concerned about heading into next week?

Scott: Not at this stage.

Q: The umpiring, there was a deliberate out of bounds called against your team and one that wasn’t called against Fremantle. You looked frustrated with that?

Scott: I think you caught me laughing. The umpires just flip a coin. The fans can get upset about that, we probably get frustrated in the moment but then don’t give a second thought about that.

Q: Do you find there’s a lack of consistency?

Scott: It’s not a consistent rule, it’s hard to adjudicate. It’s not black and white so whether we like it or not it’s never going to be consistent. The umpire’s trying to think ‘did he do enough to keep it in?’

So he’s got to make that decision and make a call. We’d all be inconsistent if we were asked to adjudicate that rule. It’s not the umpires.

Q: Do we need to make it more black and white, i.e. last touch against the team?

Scott: I think the SANFL are trialling a last kick or handball out of bounds, which simplifies it. I think stoppages are an important part of our game. You’ve got a champion ruckman in Aaron Sandilands playing, and an All-Australian ruckman in Todd Goldstein.

If you start paying a lot of free kicks around the ball and start paying last touch out of bounds, what do you need a ruckman for? We don’t want to breed ruckmen out of the game. We certainly don’t want to say, if you’re an elite tall player who can get your hand to the ball first at stoppages, but you can’t do anything else you can’t play.

If that rule comes in you say ‘we’ll stop looking at the beanpoles now who can’t run’, because their tap work is irrelevant.

Q: Will Higgins be alright for next week?

Scott: The medical guys cleared him, I wasn’t comfortable with it. He had a tight hamstring two days before the game. Getting on a plane and going to Perth, the disaster scenario was he travelled and had a significant hamstring tear and missed four to six and potentially puts us in a tough position playing one down for a fair portion of the game. The risk/reward wasn’t there but the positive is he’ll be right for next week.

Q: How’d you find Mason Wood’s return tonight?

Scott: It was really promising. He looked really lively early and we couldn’t get him the supply we wanted later in the game. Every time the ball was kicked in his direction he looked really good and that’s a great sign given he missed a lot of footy.

Q: Brown was receiving treatment on his knee, how’d he pull up?

Scott: He’s ok. He was a little bit sore and we thought it was worthwhile trying to get him back out there and late in the game he did some good things. It’s just a knock I think.

Q: Where’s Lindsay Thomas at? Four games without kicking a goal, is it his work ethic or is he just unlucky not being in the right spots – how do you see it?

Scott: He’s not in the best of form at the moment. It’s not through lack of effort, maybe he’s trying too hard. Sometimes when you play on instinct, you get better results. At the moment he’s not getting the results for what he’s doing. We’ll keep working with him.