COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse said Saturday's Anzac Day loss to Essendon was the most disappointing home-and-away loss he had been involved with.

The Magpies went down by five points in a thrilling contest after leading by 14 with less than five minutes to play.

Malthouse didn't mince his words when he spoke post-match.

"You don't hand an opposition three goals, [but] they (Essendon) worked for it," he said.

"But without a shadow of doubt in my short-term memory – and perhaps later on it'll be my long-term memory – I can't think of a more disappointing result in a home-and-away series game.

"We unfortunately let the Anzacs down."

Malthouse wouldn't reveal what he said to his players post-match but reiterated his frustrations.

"What we said behind closed doors is exactly why we close the doors," he said.

"I'm telling you, I didn't think we played anywhere near and capture the spirit of the Anzacs and that's what makes this one of the most disappointing games I've ever been associated with."

Asked if his players thought they had the game won late in the last quarter, Malthouse said: "It may appear that way, [but] I can't answer for the players."

Malthouse said it wasn't just the final minutes of the match that irked him but also the breakdown in his side's structure and process which unfolded earlier.

"This is a very generic assessment of all players. It's flawed because there are some fantastic efforts by a few players," Malthouse said.

"But in general, we just didn't stick long enough and hard enough and stay with it all day – not just the last three or four minutes."