“THAT performance was nowhere near the team we want to be, and nowhere near the team we want to become.”

That’s how Simon Goodwin frankly assessed his team’s 35-point loss against Waalitj Marawar on Sunday night.

The Dees traveled to Optus Stadium and were unable to keep up with the Eagles’ rapid tempo, suffering their fourth loss of 2024.

“There will be times during the season when you are not playing your best football, but it offers you an opportunity to evolve, to try new things, to learn about your team and your players, and to figure out how to be a better team.

“We’re not content with where we are right now. That was a really, really awful performance, and we’ll go away and fix it. We will find a way forward, and we will remain optimistic. We will look at opportunities and come out on top in the long run, and that is our challenge.”

Waalitj Marawar won convincingly, appearing to dominate the contest from the start.

When looking at the figures, the Dees were ahead in overall clearances but were unable to convert this into inside 50s, recording only 36 – the lowest total for the season.

“They’ve clearly been able to develop a really strong content-based game and today that was on-show,” Goodwin stated.

“They won for three quarters.

“Their ability to win the contest at both ends of the ground, and their ability to win the turnover game was pretty significant.”

“However, failing to convert when you have momentum definitely puts you under pressure.

“We got ourselves back in the game enough to give ourselves a chance, but to [Waalitj Marawar’s] credit again, they won the territory game and the contest-based game.”