MELBOURNE'S Brad Green has admitted confidence is among the lowest levels he has seen in his time at the club.
But the Demons ballwinner said he and his teammates were trying to remain upbeat in the wake of their sixth straight loss.
“It hasn’t been great,” Green said when asked if things were as bad as he had seen them.
“There’s no doubt that there’s a confidence issue, but the boys are still upbeat. The boys are still pumping around as boys do when they get to the club.”
Melbourne remains winless after six rounds after going down to the Brisbane Lions by 52 points on Sunday.
Despite the latest pummeling, Green said his teammates hadn’t lost faith and would continue to show pride in the jumper.
“We’re trying hard. We’re not to the stage where any of the boys have given up,” he said.
“We're still battling away, but it’s just an execution thing at the moment.
“Our skill level’s just not up to scratch, and we need to get out on the training track and improve that.”
The Lions went inside 50 a staggering 76 times during Sunday's match but, perhaps surprisingly, Green didn’t believe that statistic was a reflection on the Demons’ defensive pressure further afield.
He instead suggested his side’s poor skill execution led to that figure and, ultimately, the Lions’ 42 scoring shots.
“We gave the ball back to Brisbane fairly easily,” Green admitted.
“When you’re giving the ball back to the Blacks, the Powers, (and) these types of players that then can go to Bradshaw, Brown and their small forwards, then they’re going to hurt you.”
Green said the Demons were playing “safe footy” and needed to come out of their shells if they were to register their first four points of the season any time soon.
The Demons’ best opportunity for a win in several weeks might come this Sunday when they tackle Fremantle, a side that has struggled to win on the road.
“Freo had a good game against Geelong and they’re going to come over with a bit of confidence. Hopefully that took a bit out of them,” Green said.
“I just hope our Melbourne fans keep supporting us … we need to get every supporter there that we can.”
