The stands might be empty, but the St George Illawarra Dragons can hear their fans loud and clear.
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And veteran Trent Merrin agrees.
What they have produced thus far is not good enough.
"They have every right to feel the way that they feel," Merrin said.
"When you're passionate about something, you're going to express that passion and that pain, especially with the team that we do have here.
"We should be in a lot better position than what we are."
Read more: Tensions flare as cricket battle rages on
The supporter backlash kicked into high gear following Monday's lacklustre defeat to the Bulldogs and while coach Paul McGregor has faced the brunt of the criticism, no one within the organisation has been spared.
From the players to coaching staff, management and the board room, all have faced public scrutiny in recent days.
But while Merrin agrees with the anger among the Red V fan base, he has urged supporters to stick with their team.
"What they need to understand is that we are trying. We're working really hard to get that momentum, to get that platform as a playing group, to get that confidence to play the style of footy that we know we're capable of playing.
"They have every right to feel the way they feel, they have every right to express the way they feel, but we're working really hard here to get to where we know we're capable of getting to.
"We know we're letting them down, they pay the money, they get behind us, they support us, so we need to deliver."
The Dragons widely believe their poor start has not been through lack of effort, with Merrin of the opinion some players are starting to try too hard.
Rather than overcomplicate matters, the former Australian representative has urged his teammates to think less and just play footy.
"We sometimes overthink things and try to do more than what we need to do. We just need to strip it right back and build a base. Once we do have a base, the talent in each individual will start to shine through.
"It's the game that we're in, it's a pressure game, but at the end of the day, we're humans. We just need to strip it back, not put too much pressure on ourselves and relax a little bit."
For a team sitting last on the ladder, Sunday night's clash with the Sharks is shaping as crucial.
A date with the Gold Coast looms, before fixtures with 2019 grand finalists the Roosters and Raiders. Losses in the next two weeks would put the Dragons on track for an 0-8 start to the season.
The players recognise the importance of this week's match, Kangaroos star Tyson Frizell leading an honesty session earlier in the week to help turn the team's performances around.
St George Illawarra will have the opportunity to showcase that desire to improve in front of a limited number of fans on Sunday night, with the club's platinum members offered access to the ground.
Taking on a local rival following the week the side has endured, Merrin said the players will have no shortage of motivation on Sunday
"It's been a rivalry match against them for many years now, it's very exciting for myself. It would've been great to play at one of our home grounds, but even with the situation it's still going to be that rivalry match.
"It's something I'm looking forward to playing in, especially their middles. They've got a great pack there, it'd be great to test their pack with ours."
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