PORT ADELAIDE coach Mark Williams has praised his team’s endeavour following Saturday night’s “gut-wrenching” two-point loss to North Melbourne at AAMI Stadium.

The Power, who led by 10 points at the final change, had a chance to snatch the lead in the dying seconds, but skipper Warren Tredrea’s boundary line snap was off line.

The loss was Port Adelaide’s seventh by 15 points or less this season.

“It was another gut-wrenching result, there’s no doubt about it,” Williams said after the match.

“We fought it out and if you look at all the stats we’ve been trying to turn around; we beat them in tackles and beat them in hard-ball gets. They are a contested side and to do that was outstanding,” Williams said.

“North has beaten the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn and we know they are a pretty proud club. They play pretty hard footy and we kept in there all night.

“We like to think we can keep fighting on and, if you have to lose, you’d rather lose like that than get smashed and give up.”

The Power were down one interchange rotation when Damon White pulled a hamstring early in the third term, but Williams identified “shocking blunders” as the reason behind his team’s seventh loss at home this year.

Port Adelaide gave the ball straight back to North Melbourne, twice, from the kick-ins and made a multitude of other skill errors in an attempt to manoeuvre around the Kangas’ 18-man-press.

“I know for a fact that some of our blunders were shocking. We handballed a ball and they would snap a goal, or we would handball or kick-out straight to them,” Williams said.

“There were just some blunders you’d hate to think cost you the game but, in the end, they do.

“Everyone is disappointed, but we’ve got seven weeks to go and we’ll battle on.”

Williams also praised the efforts of Nathan Lonie, who has played only two AFL games this season, but kicked two goals and picked up 22 possessions on Saturday night.

Lonie is one of a handful of Power players fighting to save their careers and Williams said the former Hawk’s performance against North Melbourne was a step in the right direction.

“It was good to see Nathan Lonie do some stuff in his 100th game. It was disappointing for him we couldn’t get the result,” he said.

“Only time will tell [if Lonie can salvage his career]. I certainly haven’t closed the book on him, but he’s working uphill and he knows that.”