PORT Adelaide captain Travis Boak has delivered a stern message to his playing group: come back from this weekend's bye with a greater desire to win.
The Power looked to have last weekend's game against the Western Bulldogs under control in Darwin, but an insipid five-goal-to-zero third term allowed the Bulldogs to edge home.
Coach Ken Hinkley described the loss as the season's worst "by a long way".
Interstate players will head home for four days on Wednesday, while others will relax as the Power enjoy their bye this weekend.
Boak admitted his team wasn't "as desperate as [the Bulldogs'] players to win the game" and hoped his teammates would return from their time off on Sunday with a better mindset.
"We've spoken to the boys as a leadership group and just said go home and freshen up, clear the head and then come back ready to go again," Boak said on Tuesday.
"When the games do get tough we need a group that is desperate and want to win, and probably in the past we've let games slip when it's on the line.
"We want to come out as a club and be a team that our players stand up when it's needed like the Bulldogs' leaders did on the weekend.
"That's what we're going to focus on for the rest of the year; when the game's on the line, we need to stand up as a group."
The first-year skipper conceded the Power had "gone backwards" since a club-best 5-0 start to the season.
They now sit at 5-5, out of the eight, and in danger of suffering through another humiliating season if they can't stop the losses.
The Power face Greater Western Sydney after the bye before entering a monster month against the Sydney Swans, Collingwood, Essendon and Hawthorn.
Boak believed his club's bye would help the young group steel itself for a big second half of the season.
"It's a great time for our younger guys to freshen up, it's been a pretty solid 10 weeks now so I think it's probably come at the right time," he said.
"We've got a fair few pretty hard games [after the bye] and it's going to be a great challenge for us.
"We'll go into the break confident that we can finish off the year well.
"That's all we're worried about as a group, the GWS game in a couple of weeks and then the big challenges after that."
Boak will go home to Torquay on Victoria's surf coast this week, where he said he would brave the icy water to "clear the head".
The 24-year-old has averaged a career-high 25 disposals a game in 2013, but insisted he was concerned more on his leadership than personal output.
"All I've really focused on is the leadership side of things. That's what I want to do most for the club - be a good captain and help these young guys and help this group improve," he said.
"I'm still learning the caper as captain and I've got great support around me.
"I've got a big challenge ahead as well as the rest of the leadership group to bounce back from where we are."
Harry Thring is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry
