Speaking a day after the Demons drew with Collingwood at the MCG, Bate rejected calls for extended matches and says draws should remain a part of the game.
“I guess draws are something I’ve played with my whole life," he said on Tuesday morning.
" It’s what I’m used to and I guess maybe in the NAB Cup they can experiment with something different but they happen so rarely that I don’t reckon it’s a big part of the game that needs to be changed.”
However, the 23-year-old did admit to feeling numb when the final siren rang on Monday.
“It’s a bit of a hollow feeling coming away with a draw. I guess it’s a much better result than losing by a point,” he said.
“You don’t go out there to play for a draw, you go out there to win. It’s a bit of a nothing feeling.”
The Demons now have a week off before taking on Adelaide in the second half of round 13. Bate says the break is timely for the youthful and inexperienced playing group.
“It is a pretty young side and the guys who have played a lot of games will need a rest for their bodies. We will use the chance to refresh and really attack the second half of the season,” he said.
With four-and-a-half wins on the board, Bate said the possibility of September action for the Demons remained distant.
“Finals hasn’t been mentioned at all within the group," he said.
"I’ve seen where we’ve come from - it's a bit unrealistic to talk like that.
"You do look at the ladder and you think a couple more wins and we’re inside the eight. It is probably at the back of people’s minds.”
Bate reiterated the modern-day mantra of process over results as Melbourne's driving motivation for the remainder of the season.
“It is an old cliché but we are trying to look for consistency.
"We’ve played some really good games this year but then played some poor games against sides we probably would have been expected to do better against.
"We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves and we know that it finding that consistent effort each week is our goal.”
