PORT ADELAIDE assistant coach Adam Kingsley believes the little things have really cost his team this season.

On Saturday, the Power’s campaign will end at the same place as it did last year but four weeks earlier.

Port Adelaide will head to the MCG with the aim of restoring some pride and confidence ahead of the long pre-season, this time against North Melbourne, but on Friday Kingsley lamented just how different 2008 could have been.

"There are things that we look at and think we could've done better and there are things we look at and think we've done well," Kingsley said. "We've had a lot of missed opportunities.

"I think we've lost eight or nine games by less than two-and-a-half goals or something. If some of those games turn our way, if we do something different tactically in the coach's box, if the players perform a little bit differently on the field – then we get different results and we’re fighting for a top eight position.

"It's very minor, the AFL competition, as far as making a couple of small mistakes that really come back to hurt you in the end."

Kingsley said a plateau in overall player improvement had contributed to the sub-standard season, which has produced just six wins.

"We've had a lot of players, compared to last year, that have dropped their form down a little bit or have broken even with their performances from last year," he said.

"We haven’t had too many guys actually improve, so that’s a big disappointment for the footy club this year."

North Melbourne has its eyes on a double chance in September, but the visitors will head into the game quietly confident.

The Power fell just a kick short of toppling the Roos in round 15 and Kingsley said the brains trust at Alberton had worked hard on uncovering Dean Laidley's secret to success.

"North Melbourne is fighting for a top-four spot, so they are a quality team," Kingsley said. "We've studied them pretty intensively and we only played them seven or eight weeks ago, so it’s still pretty fresh in our minds how they play.

"We've performed pretty well against North Melbourne the last five times we've played them and their game style is very similar. We match up well against them.

"We understand their game style and we think we've got plans in place to beat it. So far, over the course of the last few years, we’ve been pretty successful in doing that."