Crocker, in charge of his fourth game as caretaker coach, took positives from his side's brave fightback, but said the result was shattering.
"There's not much joy in draws," he said after the game.
"It's a pretty empty feeling, but when you've been where we've been over the past three weeks with the tight finishes and being in winnable positions at some stage in each of those games, it does feel like a loss.
"Again, we've let another opportunity slip to win a game we were in a position to win."
While proud of his players’ performance in erasing a 42-point half-time deficit, Crocker was disappointed they were so far behind in the first place.
"The second half is the type of brand of football that we want to play. That's the perception we want to try and create for our footy club," he said.
"Winning the contested footy, taking the game on a bit, taking a few risks, running and working hard for one another. That was the second half.
"But it's inexcusable the way we performed in the first half, which was just playing safe, uncompetitive football."
He admitted to giving his players a "forthright, honest appraisal" at the main break, after they were smashed in the contested ball and refused to be creative.
He also said he would closely review how the Tigers were allowed to draw level late in the fourth term after the Roos had moved in front.
"The two lessons we need to take out of that game are the first half and how we performed, and secondly, when we did get our noses in front in the last quarter with a minute and a half to go, we should have been able to hold on as a team," he said.
"We got numbers behind the football, we pushed our half-forwards up on the side of the square.
"I'll have to go back and watch the vision, but how could they get an easy clearance that could carry basically to about 20m out, over the top of most of our numbers we pushed back? I'll need to have a close look at that."
The Roos appeared to have pinched the game when David Hale marked within range with 22 seconds left on the clock, but a free kick was paid for holding Jarrod Silvester.
"I just thought that from his position, it would take a pretty horrible kick to not make a score," Crocker said.
"Then it flashed across to the umpire, who was pulling his guernsey out for holding on, and that was it. That was where the game was done.
"Hale came to me and asked me I'd seen it, and I still haven't.
"But, if you're relying on umpires' decisions to decide games of football, they're too close in the first place."
He also said whoever inherited North Melbourne's list for next season would receive a tough group of players who were "learning a hell of a lot from failure".
"It's going to give them a steely resolve going forward," he said.
"I'm talking about a lot of the young kids after they've come in and been in the positions we've been in and not be able to get over the line."
