ALEX Fasolo has blamed a lack of communication for the way Collingwood's players failed to "connect" with each other on Saturday in the Magpies' unexpected loss to Melbourne.
But the 23-year-old believes the Pies don't need a "heroic" act to turn around their six-game losing streak after recently proving their best football can push the competition's leaders.
The Pies were heavily backed going into Saturday's clash with the Demons, who were downed by 37 points last week by the rebuilding St Kilda.
Five talking points: Collingwood v Melbourne
But despite decent patches of play in the second and third quarters, a horrendous final term where they registered just 23 kicks and no goals meant they fell 37 points short.
"From the get-go, as a team we weren't connected," Fasolo told AFL.com.au.
"It felt like there were 21 islands out there.
"It was the first time we've played like that in a long time.
"We weren't playing as individuals but it was probably a lack of communication, a bit of a lack of knowing your role and playing it.
"We'll have to work out where we went wrong, there's a few pats on the back where they're due – a few boys stood up and played well - but it's not acceptable.
"We've lost a few on the trot now but we've been competitive and we came in today thinking we could win this, but we had our opportunities in the second, we came good late in the third, and then butchered it in the last quarter."
Fasolo was part of a forward line he admitted didn't function, with an additional 14 inside 50s not translating to scoreboard potency.
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Coach Nathan Buckley said it was the shortest structure they'd played with in an attempt to lock the ball in the forward 50, but conceded the tactic didn't work.
Fasolo said there didn't need to be kneejerk or savage reactions to the loss, with the Pies still confident in their best form that pushed Fremantle and Hawthorn as little as just over a month ago.
"We don't need anything heroic. We just need boys to go out and know their role and play it as well as they can," he said.
"We know that our best footy matches up with anyone, so we just have to go and do that.
"Nothing's changed. We played some really good footy and the last five weeks we've been really competitive and played some really good footy, and taken it up to the best teams in the comp in Hawthorn and Freo.
"And today, we were bad. It's as simple as that. We were really bad.
"It was just one of those days."
