The Fury had plenty of possession throughout the contest, but were guilty of wasted opportunities in attack with Chris Grossman spurning several chances.

McLaren admitted his side's inability to take their chances when they came, ultimately cost his the Fury the scalp of a strong opponent.

"I wouldn't say there was an awful lot of missed (opportunities) but at this level of the game and against a side of that level we don't expect to get a plethora of chances and the ones you do get you have to take," he said.

"It was one of those things where we could have done a little bit better, a little bit more finesse, or make some slightly better decisions up front.

"Grossy (Chris Grossman) has proven in his time at the Roar youth team and even here that he can score.

"With him not having played the last couple of week and with his thigh injury he may have been out of rhythm, his timing was a bit off he didn't make the clean connection."

North Queensland, who are eighth on the A-League ladder, will next face Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand on Friday.