RODNEY Eade described it as the one that got away.

Gold Coast lost to North Melbourne by 38 points, but the Suns coach was left to rue a string of unforced errors that cost his team any chance of victory.

And despite missing senior players Steven May (suspended) and Dion Prestia (illness), it wasn't just the young players.

The stats alone told the story of an even contest – which for much of the night it was.

Gold Coast won the disposals (366-362) and clearances (30-29), was narrowly beaten in contested possessions (138-134), but was killed on turnovers.

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"We just made a lot of errors tonight," Eade said.

"We hung in there pretty well at times considering the errors and got it back in the second and third quarter to three points, but the errors mounted, they cost us badly.

"Even with our players out, I thought it was a game we could have won the way it went tonight, but we just made too many mistakes."

Click here to watch Rodney Eade's full post-match press conference

In the first quarter alone, usually reliable Kade Kolodjashnij gifted a goal to Ben Brown after a poor cross-field kick was cut off by Jarrad Waite, while Brown waltzed into a second after Jarrod Harbrow overran a ground ball.

They weren't the only offenders though, as Gold Coast bumbled, fumbled and over-possessed through much of the contest.

Often it was one too many handballs in the middle of the ground that was pressured, turned over and headed the other way for a goal.

"A lot was from pressure, (but) a lot was from our own doing," Eade said.

"I'm not talking about the real pressure errors, there was enough errors there that they were able to get scores from and we should have been going the other way.

"It's our method of where we want to go with the ball that players didn't adhere to, which is frustrating.

"Some of those were experienced players, I think some of our older players made as many mistakes as our younger ones, so that was disappointing."

Five talking points: Gold Coast v North Melbourne

Gold Coast battled hard to reign in 20-plus point deficits in both the second and third quarters, which pleased Eade.

Despite North Melbourne's tall forward line of Brown, Waite and Drew Petrie combining for eight goals, he said his undermanned defence could hold its heads high.

"With an undermanned defence, and Dion (Prestia) out as well and our midfield exposed for depth … we acquitted ourselves OK, we just need to make better decisions and be a bit more efficient."