FREMANTLE youngster Garrick Ibbotson believes his side has not "forgotten" how to win, but is struggling to contend with teams buoyed by the knowledge the Western Australian team currently has final quarter yips.
Ibbotson, 20, said his side is being hit with clubs determined to expose it in the fourth term owing to the nature of its past four losses, which have come despite it holding a three-quarter time lead.
"I don't think we've forgotten how to win, but with the last couple of weeks being they way they've been, our last quarters haven't been so great and I think oppositions are drawing strength from knowing we haven't been finishing off well," Ibbotson told afl.com.au.
"They're probably thinking that, which helps them get over the line when they think, 'If we keep pushing and pushing, Fremantle might stop running'.
"It's not so much that we don't have the belief to win; it's more that they draw strength from the fact that we aren't [winning]."
Ibbotson said the players were sometimes receiving verbal banter about their current inability to run out games, but were suffering more by oppositions playing with a renewed sense of optimism in the final stanza.
He also denied Fremantle's problems are related to fitness, as he believes the players to be in adequate condition.
"We know that we're fit, we had a good pre-season, and all the boys are confident with the way they're feeling at the moment," he said.
"It's just little things in a game where a tackle or a hard ball get might go the wrong way that gives the other team a run-on, and they might kick a goal and for some reason, we're finding it hard to kick back."
Ibbotson, who played his seventh game on Saturday and was among his side's best, said winning was the only thing missing from his impressive individual start to the season.
"I'm enjoying playing, but I really want to win," he said.
"Winning on the weekend makes the week so much easier, and the boys feel so much better going to training and meetings.
"It makes the whole place feel so much better during the week.
"We just need to win a few games, get a bit of confidence back, and I think we'll go from there."