Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is remaining positive despite another loss to a top-eight side, which continues their poor form against contending clubs.
Adelaide downed the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium by 11 points, taking Beveridge's charges to 1-7 against other finals contenders this season, and next Friday, Brisbane awaits at the Gabba.
The Bulldogs coach understood the "narrative" surrounding his club about faltering when it matters most, but remained buoyed by the fact they were "in the mix".
"I know that's the narrative, but ultimately you can look at it in two different ways - in a really pessimistic way, like that, or an optimistic way, in that we put ourselves in a position where at least we're in the mix to give ourselves a chance at the end of the year," Beveridge said.
"But as far as the scoreline and the way the game played out and history repeating itself against a pretty good team, I agree.
"Our biggest disappointment this afternoon was how we started the game: the broken tackles and probably not using the ball as we'd like to under pressure.
“That really put us on the back foot. Thirty entries to a team like Adelaide in the first half is far too many. We tightened up and were better in the second half in terms of territory and what we were doing.
Captain Marcus Bontempelli could expect to receive the three Brownlow Votes in September after a stellar 37 disposals, six goal assists, 12 tackles and eight clearances performance.
Aaron Naughton slotted five goals, while Ed Richards (two goals and 29 possessions) and Tom Liberatore (26 touches and eight clearances) were also pivotal to the Bulldogs' chances.
But in the end, there were not enough.
"The three inside real leaders—Marcus, Tom and Ed—tried to will us over the line. We just didn't have enough today to complement their influence," Beveridge said.
"We have some challenges, but I remain optimistic we can continue to improve. Under the circumstances, it's a pretty disappointing afternoon.
"I didn't feel, at any time this afternoon, comfortable. I didn't feel like we played that well, and yet we scored 98 points.
"There's lot to tidy up. We have to start the game better than that."
Naughton has recently hit a rich vein of form, slotting back-to-back five-goal hauls, and stringing 17 in the past five weeks, taking his tally to 36.
