Laidley lauded Hale's best-on-ground display in a losing side, after the Cats booted seven goals to two in the second term to set up their 30-point win.
"A lot of our boys were down, but there were a lot of positives. David Hale's game was probably the best game I've seen by a North Melbourne player in a long, long time and I thought he was outstanding," Laidley said post-match.
"There were a few positives. Lots of sides have come down here and been on the end of some beltings and we have as well. We really missed Matty Campbell, I thought, so I think we can improve a helluva lot and they are also an extremely good side.
"I don't think some of our boys played at the standard required, but again, you've got to look at the opposition and the opposition is first class – let's not beat around the bush.
"They're very talented, they're well drilled, they're well coached, they're very disciplined and I don't think you can ask for much more than that."
Laidley said Hale, who also kicked four goals against Geelong in round 11 this season (his previous best in an AFL match), was continuing to mature as a player.
"His performances have been really improving. He's actually playing at about seven-and-a-half foot now, when he's going for his marks, and I think he's realised that and he's putting himself in a position to be able to do that," Laidley said.
"From a confidence view and from a development point of view, he's come along really well.
"[His performance] ended up being very, very similar [to round 11] to be quite frank."
Although Laidley said Geelong was a "super team", he didn't want to think about the prospect of playing the Cats again in the first week of the finals, with next week's final home-and-away clash against Port Adelaide at the forefront of his mind.
"We've got to win next week for that to happen, so let's worry about next week," Laidley said.
