West Coast and North Melbourne have been left searching for answers after a pair of Saturday night floggings.
The Eagles were beaten by Carlton by 108 points in Perth at the same time Melbourne were beating North by 90 at the MCG.
It was West Coast's second heaviest defeat under coach Adam Simpson, narrowly falling short of the 109-point loss to Richmond in round seven last year.
West Coast entered the match missing 10 of their best 22 players, with many of them sidelined until the latter stages of the season.
The Eagles won only two games last year, and 2023 is shaping up to be just as painful.
Simpson cut a deflated figure following the loss to Carlton, which sent his team plummeting to the bottom of the ladder with a 1-6 record and a percentage of just 64.3.
"Unacceptable, not good enough, not happy. We need to be better. But we are aware of the big picture as well," Simpson said.
"I don't think we'd ever say we gave up, but we got out-worked.
"We collapsed back on some of the things we were doing in the past.
"I'm not surprised, but the way the game blew out I was really disappointed.
"We've been hanging in there and fighting for quarters here and there, and our next goal was to fight for four quarters and deliver a win. We took a step backwards today."
West Coast showed some important signs of improvement earlier this season, but the glut of injuries have now ruined their campaign.
"We've got 17 players unavailable at the moment, so the list is pretty hard to judge at the moment," Simpson said.
"There isn't a lot coming back in the next three or four weeks, so we've just got to stay resilient.
"Accept the criticism, understand individually and collectively we weren't good enough tonight, and we got beaten by a side that was pretty hungry and ruthless."
Meanwhile, North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson said he would be taking inspiration from the Demons side that put them to the sword, pointing out Melbourne had endured similarly rough years before becoming the premiership threat they are today.
"I reckon they have, if not eight, maybe as many as 10 blokes who are All-Australian quality," Clarkson said.
"What we saw is the gap between one of the better sides in the competition and one of the not-so good sides.
"They've been in the same position as what we are right now ... the dangling carrot for us is because we know what their path has been, there's hope and prospect for us as a footy club as well."
Injuries are hitting North hard and Clarkson said their core 10 players collectively had been sidelined for probably half their games so far this season.
"It's tough yards, but we'll roll up the sleeves, get to work," Clarkson said.
"They're a highly credentialed side and I'd be very surprised if they're not top-four and challenging seriously for the flag."
Clarkson added that, overall, they played better than in their previous two losses, but Melbourne were just too talented for them.
"It didn't help us much in terms of scoreboard difference, but it helps in giving us some relief that we can control the ball for longer periods," he said.
ABC/AAP
