Nothing honourable about loss: Ellis
West Coast are taking no satisfaction away from Saturday night’s heartbreaking defeat to Collingwood, with Xavier Ellis saying the players were not treating the result as an honourable loss.
The Eagles led at every change against the Magpies at the MCG, but were ultimately outclassed in the final term as the hosts clinched a crucial eight-point win.
The defeat has extended West Coast’s hoodoo at the home of football, with the club having now lost 10 successive matches against Collingwood at the venue.
Ellis said the players had failed to consistently apply the game plan under coach Adam Simpson for long enough.
“We took a big step forward on Saturday night, but it’s a disappointing result,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s such a thing as an honourable loss.
“We were leading for most of the night, so I don’t think Simmo (Simpson) would see it as an honourable loss either.”
It is not the first time West Coast have fallen away in a final quarter this year, with the team dropping off late in losses to Carlton and Port Adelaide already this season.
Despite the trend, Ellis said the squad’s fitness was not an issue.
“We’re still learning under Simmo,” he said.
“There’s little parts of the game plan which we implement in different parts of quarters.
“We just make little errors occasionally. We’re learning.”
