The Richmond coach pointed to the Kangaroos' ability to adapt to the wet conditions better as the main difference between the two sides.
"I thought North Melbourne were hungrier, harder and a lot better on the day," Hardwick said post-match.
"They played very, very well and they handled the conditions a lot better than what our boys did."
Just five points separated the teams at the first change, but Hardwick believes Richmond were on the back-foot from the outset.
"It's a really good example that if you come not to play early you get beaten. I thought their (North's) pressure was very good in and around the ball so we over-handballed which probably lead to turnovers,"
"We were down 0-8 at half-time from the centre square and I think we are the number one centre clearance side in the competition differential wise." Hardwick added.
The Tigers capitulated in the third term conceding five goals as North Melbourne's midfielders asserted their influence on the match.
"Credit to North, they shut down a lot of our players. They played some good footy,"
"(Andrew) Swallow was outstanding, we couldn't find a match-up for him. (Brent) Harvey and (Daniel) Wells did their bit too and Leigh Adams is another very good young player."
An improved effort from the Tigers in the final term did little to stem the flow and the Roos sit outside the eight on percentage only.
