Despite only four wins, a poor percentage and three ordinary quarters against St Kilda, North Melbourne coach Brad Scott is still talking AFL finals.
North only managed four goals in the first three quarters against the Saints on Friday night and Scott lamented they were never really in the hunt.
The 17-point loss, on the night they honoured club legend Brent Harvey pre-game, left the Kangaroos languishing with a 4-8 record and a percentage well under 100.
But they also remain just two games outside the top eight, in a year when upset results are rife.
"It's a strange season ... we'll continue to play to win," Scott said.
"We're still in that group of a number of teams who still have genuine hope to play in September and that's our ambition from this point on.
"So we'll keep trying to play footy that's capable of beating sides in September and we'll keep picking the team to win games to get enough wins to try and compete."
Scott said the final score flattered North and they paid dearly for too many basic errors, adding they will change their training routine to work more on their skills.
One positive was second-gamer Declan Mountford, who put everything into his tag on Saints star Jack Steven and kept him quiet for much of the first half.
While Steven went forward late in the second term and kicked two goals, Mountford earned a big tick from Scott for his performance.
Scott was also pleased for ruckman Todd Goldstein, who was high among North's best after a run of below-par form.
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