If failure is feedback, as Ross Lyon says, then St Kilda have plenty of notes to look over.
The Saints were handed what their coach branded a "harsh reality check" in their horror 19.10 (124) to 5.9 (39) defeat to the rampant Brisbane Lions on Sunday.
One-sided clearance (48-27), contested possession (138-97) and inside-50 (56-39) counts went the Lions' way in a brutal show of force from the premiership favourites.
The result was St Kilda's lowest score against Brisbane and their equal-lowest against any side since Lyon returned as coach last year.
It was also the Saints' heaviest defeat under the 57-year-old, who has coached the club in 165 games over two stints.
"We take the feedback and I really feel for our fans," Lyon said.
"We were all starting to get excited about our improvement, so we go away and there's no recriminations but it gives us a harsh reality check.
"We just need to stick together and re-group.
"We've got Richmond next week but our biggest opponent is ourselves because we've undone all our good work."
Lyon felt St Kilda had improved in key areas - particularly contested ball and pressure - since a win over West Coast in Perth two months ago.
But he conceded the physical Lions taught his Saints a lesson about the level required to compete with the competition's best sides.
"We expected better, we wanted better, but we didn't deliver better," Lyon said.
"You see some of the results around the league and you think that's interesting, then it happens to you.
"We felt like we were improving and getting to where we needed to go.
"But their midfield just got to work and it was every facet, to be honest, but particularly clearance.
"They just played with us in there, so I get frustrated with that."
Brisbane had the game in their keeping after a nine-goals-to-one first half at Marvel Stadium and were never challenged.
"I thought we lost our spirit a little bit early in the last (quarter) but fortunately we just fought on a little bit," Lyon said.
"They just sat us on our arse and were too good for us.
"That's the level, so we need to get better."
The Saints (8-12) meet Richmond on Sunday before ending the season with games against top-eight sides Carlton and Geelong.
