After losing to 13th-placed Essendon by 22 points at Telstra Dome, the 24-year-old was talking positives rather than negatives.
“Four points is hard to grab sometimes but we’ve done a good job and we keep taking small steps forward each week which is encouraging,” he said.
“The thing now is we can’t drop our heads. We’ve got to keep buttering up every week and keep working hard.
“You can’t walk away from every game not expecting to take anything from it.
“We just have to take the learning points from each game and use them to improve.”
Staker, in his 100th appearance for the club, gathered 11 possessions and kicked a brilliant running goal in the first term, but like so many teammates faded in the second half.
He says youth and inexperience caused fluctuations in the side’s output from quarter to quarter and week to week.
“When you’ve got so many young guys coming into a side, playing regular AFL footy is always going to be an adjustment, so for them to play more games the better. It’s only a matter of time before they start hitting their straps and playing consistent footy.”
Of the 22 that tackled Essendon, eight had played less than 50 games. Five of those – Chris Masten, Beau Wilkes, Brad Ebert, Ryan Davis and Tim Houlihan - had played less than 10.
While coach John Worsfold and his staff talk up the youth, Staker said it was important the senior players maintained intensity in everything they did.
“The senior players know that,” he said.
“We have to show leadership and show others what it takes to be consistent.”
The former Broken Hill boy rated his milestone as a proud day in his football career and hoped it was the forerunner for many more in the blue and gold.
