TYLA Hanks says Melbourne will take valuable lessons from its first loss of the season, after North Melbourne proved too strong on Saturday night.

The Demons started brightly, setting the tone in a strong opening quarter, but were unable to maintain that momentum across the remaining three terms against the reigning premiers.

Hanks said the group was understandably flat after the final siren but remained confident in its ability to respond.

“Obviously when you’re winning quite comfortably for the first part of the season, it’s been really good,” Hanks said.

“But to lose one game, it’s okay. We’ll be okay, and there are some really good lessons out of that.

“North are clearly the best team in the competition for the last few years, so we’re flat, but looking forward to learning from that game.”

Hanks identified Melbourne’s fundamentals and connection moving forward as key areas for the side to review.

“Definitely our fundamentals (became inconsistent after quarter time),” she said.

“That’s where the game starts, and if you can’t be clean there, a team like North just punish you.

“I felt like we lacked connection in our forward half off the back of poor fundamentals, and then they were able to rip back the other way and get a few goals out the back.

“That’s definitely something we’ll review.”

While the result was a disappointing one, the night also marked a significant occasion for captain Kate Hore, who celebrated her 100th AFLW game.

Hanks, who has served alongside Hore in the leadership group for several seasons, praised the skipper’s influence on both the club and the wider competition.

“Obviously really disappointed for Kate to not win her milestone game. That was definitely our goal,” Hanks said.

“But she’s absolutely a pioneer of the competition.

“I think we’ve seen throughout the week how amazing she is for our competition. I’ve been really lucky to be a vice-captain under her for a few years now, and she’s a great friend.

“We didn’t get the win, but she’s been an absolute pioneer of our competition and an awesome leader for our club.”