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Gold Coast SUNS ruckman Zac Smith says the SUNS are desperate to change the perception the players are soft.

The towering Queenslander said the players knew they had let themselves and the club's supporters down in round seven’s shock loss to the GWS Giants in Canberra.

He said although the players had to accept criticism from outside the club that they were soft, he believed the lack intensity at the contest against the Giants was a “mental” issue that could be fixed.

Smith said although the vast majority of the side were still young and inexperienced, they had shown in games against Fremantle and Essendon they could compete physically with the competition's better sides.

"From an outsiders perspective we probably do look soft, and I think it is more of a metal thing,’’ he said.
"Yes we do have young boys but they have big bodies, and we have shown we can match it.

"It is just upstairs that we have to switch on.''

Smith was in no doubt the SUNS could turn things around quickly, starting this weekend against the Western Bulldogs in Darwin.

He said the hurt from the weekend and the desire to make amends had propelled the side through a grueling training session at Metricon Stadium on Wednesday.

“It is still hurting from the weekend,'' he said.

"It was there on Monday and Tuesday and especially through the review but we have turned it around and that is what we have to do, we cannot dwell on it for the whole week, we need to move on.''

Assistant coach Andy Lovell echoed Smith’s brutally honest assessment of the weekend's effort.

However he believed the players had taken a positive step in rectifying the problem by accepting their responsibility.

He also said the coaching group had stressed to the side that maximum effort and intensity needed to be made every week to compete in the AFL.

"We were very disappointed, there were times when our effort was soft, we can't shy away from that,'' he said.

"There is no doubt we have to take responsibility for the weekend, because the external perception is we were soft.

"Our review was strong, we need to learn and we are learning that we have to be very consistent in that area.

"That can't be compromised from week to week.''