Seven days after a one-point loss to Coffs Harbour, the Dolphins went within three seconds of returning to the winner’s list.

It wasn’t to be when they missed a contested lay-up and then the Crusaders went down the other end and made both their free throws.

Dolphins coach Mark Champion said it was a “game of runs”.

“They got out to an early 10-point lead, then we pegged them and led by 10 at various stages,” he said.

“We just made mistakes at the wrong time and these are the games we need to win and it’s why this season is so frustrating.”

Brad Barnett was one of the Dolphins best despite broken hand.

“He had his best defensive game in quite some time despite a broken hand which forced him to lose control of the ball at various points,” Champion said.

“I should have recognised that and I’ll put my hand up and say I should have taken him off earlier.”

The Dolphins coach found the two-point loss to the Crusaders as harder to accept than the one-point loss last week.

“Last week we had a comeback and just ran out of time and the best result we could have claimed was a draw,” he said.

“This was one that got away; there were no moral wins like there were last week.”

Both the players and Champion are frustrated at their inconsistency.

“We play in patches,” he said.

“No-one likes losing, but we walked off the court last year knowing we couldn’t do much more, but we let ourselves down on Saturday.

“They’re the games we need to win and it’s why this season is so frustrating because we know we can do it.”