North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson says even being on the moon wouldn't have been enough to escape feeling down in the dumps following last week's 124-point loss to Fremantle.
But the veteran coach insists he's not feeling the pressure with just 18 months left on his contract, backing his players to put in a much better showing in Saturday's clash with West Coast at Optus Stadium.
The Kangaroos conceded the last 19 goals of the match last week on the way to the 24.11 (155) to 4.7 (31) defeat in Bunbury.
It marked the equal seventh biggest loss in North's history, and was a huge step backwards for a club that had thought its lengthy rebuild was on track.
North have stayed in Perth since that loss - not that Clarkson thinks being on the road has helped protect his players from the fallout.
