Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has dropped an F-bomb in his post-match press conference after the club’s upset loss to North Melbourne on Saturday, urging his team to “grow the f*** up”.

An inaccurate final term in front of goal - kicking 3.5 - proved costly for the Suns, with the Roos holding on by four points in the 13.9 (87) to 12.11 (83) at Marvel Stadium.

Hardwick criticised his players for a “poor” performance against the 17th-placed side, which followed a hard-fought win over reigning premiers Collingwood last week.

“I’m angry, to be fair,” Hardwick said about the loss.

“And as a footy club, we’ve got to grow the f*** up, to be perfectly honest.

“Excuse the language but we’ve been in the situation too many times.”

A win over North Melbourne could have pushed Gold Coast into the top eight but they now remain in 11th spot with an 8-8 record.

Six of their eight victories have come at their home ground at People’s First Stadium and the other two at TIO Stadium in Darwin, leading to questions over the Suns’ finals credentials.

Meanwhile, North Melbourne have lifted themselves off the bottom of the ladder, joining Richmond on eight premiership points but with a healthier percentage.

Both the Roos and Tigers are within one win of West Coast, who face Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.