LESS than 24 hours after conceding his players were “kidding” themselves if they thought they would play finals this season, Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams says the Power still have a “faint chance” of making the eight in 2008.

Williams, having done the math and taken a night to digest the 12-point loss to Carlton, was significantly more upbeat at Alberton on Monday.

“We understand that it was a really disappointing result, but given the other results on the weekend, it really didn’t change where we are,” Williams said.

“We still have a faint chance of making it [the eight]. It’s a very, very small chance, but one we’re willing to keep working at.”

The loss pushed Port Adelaide down just one rung, to 11th, on the AFL ladder, still just six points behind North Melbourne, in eighth position.

But Williams said the heartbreaking loss had done significant damage to his club’s credibility.

“No doubt we’ve certainly damaged our credibility. It has probably been two really bad quarters in the entire year, but the premiership table doesn’t reflect that and we’re sick and tired of bloody playing three good quarters in a game,” Williams said.

“It’s certainly not something we’ve been dishing out over the past 10 or 12 years and we’re riding out a bumpy patch at the moment, but we’re continually learning and we’re not walking away from it.”

Williams praised Carlton skipper Chris Judd’s inspirational effort in the final quarter and said the Port Adelaide leaders had spent two hours going over what they, themselves, could’ve done better.

The loss mirrored Port Adelaide’s round four capitulation, also at home, against the Brisbane Lions and Williams said it would take a whole team effort to shake the physical and emotional scars of the two crushing losses.

“There’s always doubt in every game. You still have to get out and win the last quarters and it’s something our leaders are going to press home. You want your best players to stand up in the last quarter and deliver, but without doubt the momentum of the 22 will always stop one or two players who are trying to stand up against it,” he said.

“We really need to get the whole 22 on board to reflect a good result in the last quarter.

“So, the challenge now is to get a group of players together that are really believing in themselves. We keep putting the pads on and getting out there, there’s no doubt about it, but the last five minutes in five or six games have really cost us dearly this year as far as our win-loss record is concerned.

“But that also says that we’ve been competitive most of the time and that we’re not far from it.

“Does it mean that it’s going to change next week? Not necessarily, but it doesn’t mean it’s out of the question either.”