We went from the penthouse to the cellar in 48 hours. More than anything else it shows why you need to measure yourself by your own standards because outside opinions can be fickle – they change like the weather.

Blocking it out is difficult, particularly with social media and all those things. Since Sunday some of our guys have just been getting hammered, whether it be fans, ex-players or commentators.

If you start listening to it, you’re in trouble. It’s why sometimes you need to circle the wagons and look at things as they really are.

You don’t really need to explain why Friday’s game against Melbourne was extraordinary – the fact it went four overtimes says it all. 

From a defensive perspective I thought we were very, very good. Offensively I thought we were ordinary and I thought we spluttered at times.

The effort was outstanding and we had some guys make some huge plays, offensively and defensively, but there were other times we just didn’t execute.

We’ve got eight new players and I thought with that pressure, under that fatigue and all those factors, Melbourne were just more polished than us. 

They’re the number one team in the country and they’ve got most of their players back. I thought that showed down the stretch more than anything else.

I thought we did a great job with our defensive intent and our physicality. We had double Melbourne’s offensive rebounds. It’s a long time since we’d done that.

There were so many positives, which is why it was so disappointing to play the way we did in Perth. It was embarrassing, there’s no other way to put it.

There were obvious challenges but I wasn’t happy with how we responded. We were coming off such a high because of how we competed and the extraordinary nature of the first game.

We were also on a bit of a low because that game could’ve gone either way. We didn’t get home until after midnight, the boys don’t sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning and then we’re jumping on a plane.

Perth’s a long way, there’s a three-hour time difference, a five-hour flight, and the guys didn’t cope with it. It’s difficult mentally and physically and there’s no magic wand that can fix it.

It was a humiliating loss and it’s always a challenge to get yourself up after a game like that, but we have to move on straight away.

We had a very, very honest and brutal meeting on Wednesday. It was a case of ‘if you’re worried about having your feelings hurt, get out of the room’.

I fully believe we can be a top-four team. We didn’t show that against Perth and we’ve faced up to that. 

That’s the beauty of this game, the film doesn't lie and you’ve got to tell it how it is. Those that can cope with it will get better, those that can’t are just deluding themselves. 

We’ve got a really good opportunity to show what we’re about against Cairns on Sunday. Forget the prospect of being 0-3 or what the critics are saying – we have our own standards to meet.