Collingwood coach Craig McRae declared his side were “right on the edge” of undoing the “culture” they have established in his time at the helm during their humiliation by Hawthorn.
“That’s not a representation of us. That was pretty ugly at times,” he said.
“We’re a team that’s spent a better part of two and a half years building a culture about being winners. Now we lost today and we were right on the edge of being losers. You can lose and still be winners and we’re right on the edge.
“The behaviours, and the actions, and the connection, and the system, and doing your job, and being reliable and finding 23 guys who really want to fight to the last second – that’s being a winner.”
The Magpies’ 66-point drubbing at the hands of Hawthorn, who are also vying to jump into the top eight, was the biggest loss of the McRae era.
It was their fourth consecutive defeat and while McRae said things went wrong in “many, many areas”, he was disappointed by the lack of on field leadership displayed by his senior players.
Collingwood had five players who have played 20 games or less take the field in the wet against the Hawks, and McRae felt like they were hung out to dry by their more experienced teammates.
“I’ll counter the inexperienced players with a lot of experienced players,” he said.
“I’m in my sixth game, help me out here. Am I in the right spot? Maybe to the left a little bit, come back a little bit.
“There’s so many things that were just what are we doing here?
“Like we had plus three (players) at a D-50 stoppage which means they have a plus three forward of the ball.
“If we do win it, we’re going to kick it to them and we lost those ones as well because we had three players right in the coal face of the contest so then it spills out like on a wet day you don’t need plus three right on the edge of the ball.
“It just doesn’t make sense.”
Despite now sitting in 13th position on the ladder and giving up valuable ground to their rivals, McRae insists they are not done with yet.
There will be a brutal review and then McRae wants his team to find inspiration from key forward Daniel McStay who returned to the side for the first time since last year’s preliminary final.
McStay missed the grand final with an MCL strain and then ruptured his ACL during pre-season training in November.
McRae believes McStay’s teammates need to follow his path.
“We’re still breathing here. Nothing is finished here,” he said.
“Resilience, pick yourself up and go again. What a great role model for where we’re at now (McStay is).
“Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, get on with it. You know, you fall off the bike, get up.”