POWER defender Troy Chaplin has stated that the players will be to blame if Mark Williams leaves Port Adelaide.
Port Adelaide has lost its past seven matches, and Williams last week conceded he's unlikely to be offered a new deal when his contract expires at the end of next season.
Chaplin said he was shocked at Williams' admission that he's long odds to remain at Alberton past next season.
"He has been copping a fair bit of flack in the media, but the onus has got to be put back on the playing group," Chaplin said today.
"He can only take so much responsibility, the rest of the responsibility has got to go on us.
"We have got to be able to execute the game plan and that is what we haven't been able to do ... and that has got nothing to do with him.
"We need to start playing for him and start performing because when we are not performing, he cops the brunt of it ... and nothing is said about the players.
"The players have got to take a whole lot more responsibility for the way we are playing."
Chaplin said Williams' message was still one that would work, but only if the players were able to execute his plans.
"We know the game plan works because it worked at the start of the year because we executed it the way we should have," he said.
"At the moment we're just not executing it at all."
2010 doesn't get any easier for the Power, with fixtures against Collingwood, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Hawthorn and St Kilda in the next five weeks.
"It's going to be a challenge for us and it's going to be interesting to see how guys respond," Chaplin said.
