Despite suffering a fifth consecutive loss, in form midfielder Jason Winderlich says the side is determined to get everything it can out of the remaining seven home and away rounds.
 
He described the last five weeks as ""tough"" on the players but said they remain focused.
 
""I think the worst thing that could happen now is to let the season pitter out into nothing,"" he said.
 
""We’ve still got plenty of games, mathematically we can still make the finals. So I think it’s important now that the senior guys keep standing up, and the young guys start to lift.
 
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""I think this is a great test for us, but over the last two or three weeks I’ve found we’re bonding closer together because you don’t want to let each other down.
 
""Especially yesterday, it was so disappointing because it was Mark McVeigh’s 200th game, we had the 2000 Premiership celebrations so a lot of those players were there yesterday watching.""
 
Winderlich said the side needs to learn to play at full intensity each week if it is to succeed.
 
""Around the stoppages early on we were getting beaten quite comfortably, but all of our effort at the ball, at tackling (wasn’t good enough), and they’re the things that are going to get the ball going your way,"" he said.
 
""We’ve beaten some top class teams (recently). It’s just a matter of coming out with the same hunger, week in week out.
 
""Any team can beat anyone on any given day, as we saw with Richmond against Fremantle on Saturday night. AFL is a great game to play and it’s a tough game, so it’s a matter of the players coming out with the same hunger as if you are coming out against a top four side.""
 
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The 25-year-old refused to blame some dubious umpiring decisions, saying the team had to take reponsibility.
 
""There were probably a few contentious (umpiring decisions). But other than that, I think we as players put ourselves in the position to give them away,"" he said.
 
""Whether it was not defending close enough on their forwards from the start and then coming in late to guard the mark, that’s how we gave away the 50s. But just across the board in the first half, midfields, forwards and backs (were a problem).
 
""Our defensive pressure wasn’t good enough and we were always just those couple of metres off their forwards or mids, and then we were coming in late and overstepping the mark or grabbing the man, and that’s the rules, that’s a 50 metre penalty.
 
Winderlich said poor disposal inside 50 was another area that must improve this week.
 
""If the person kicking inside 50 doesn’t hit a target, and it gets turned over, then the opposition will sweep it to the other side,"" he said.
 
""So I think definitely yesterday, we probably cost ourselves between four and seven goals."" 
 
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