The Kangaroos lost their final three matches of the season – including Saturday night’s elimination final to the Sydney Swans by 35 points – to finish the year in disappointing fashion, prompting Arocca to find answers.
Just a month ago North Melbourne was, along with Geelong, the competition’s in-form team and loomed as a genuine challenger to the Cats and Hawthorn.
However after going down to Mark Thompson’s team at Skilled Stadium in round 21, the Kangaroos missed the double chance following a shock loss to Port Adelaide in round 22.
That meant they had to travel to ANZ Stadium on Saturday night – where they had never before played – and they crumbled with the Swans booting 13 goals to five after half time.
Arocca said the club’s finals failure, the second in as many years, wasn’t good enough.
“The fact is the finals failure is unacceptable. You can't build teams to fail in finals,” Arocca told the Herald Sun.
“Uppermost in any review will be, you look at Sydney's team and the fact those same old campaigners stepped forward in that last half – the McVeighs, the Kirks, the Goodes, even Hall – they are the ones who win you finals matches.
“We have to make an assessment of the list and the review so we have players who step up to the plate when we need them in finals.
“This week has sharpened our focus on the sort of players and the sort of attitude we need to win finals.”
Last year the Kangaroos did manage to win a final, however their two others could be considered disasters.
North Melbourne lost a qualifying final to Geelong by 106 points while Dean Laidley’s men lost their preliminary final to Port Adelaide by 87 points.
The weekend’s “capitulation”, as retiring veteran Shannon Grant termed it, was another sub-standard display and one that Arocca said made assessing the list vital.
“We would have to say it's been disappointing. Whilst the players have fought admirably and done their best, (as) an administration at a football club, it's hard to accept getting knocked out of the finals in one match,” he said.
“Our supporters would have every right to feel a bit let down.
“There is a lot of could-ofs and would-ofs and maybes and ifs – if we had beaten Port Adelaide and been in fourth (spot) – but if I have to sum it up in a few words, it's a disappointing way to end the year.
“I will work with the coach and the match committee and the administration to make sure all the hard work that has been done off the field can start to bear fruit on-field.”
