Penrith Panthers head coach Ivan Cleary has backed his side to turn things around, and said the Panthers don't deserve to be in last spot.
The Panthers, who snapped a five-match losing streak last weekend against the Sydney Roosters, found themselves back in the losers' circle this weekend after falling short against the Manly Sea Eagles by 16 points.
In what was a topsy-turvy game, the Panthers were on the back foot during the first half before wrestling their way back into the game, but then couldn't go with the Sea Eagles during the closing stages, who themselves snapped a losing streak.
The loss leaves the Panthers, who are one of nine teams yet to have a bye, with just two wins from their first eight games and outright last on the NRL ladder at the end of Round 8, no matter which way Sunday's games go.
Despite the position, Cleary said it's not deserved and claimed the ladder doesn't matter for several months yet.
"I don't think so, but I guess it is," Cleary said during his post-match press conference.
"The ladder doesn't really matter until July or August or something, but I guess it's a talking point.
"When you only win two games, you're going to be down there somewhere."
Despite the loss, Cleary said he believes his team can turn things around in the coming weeks.
"I don't think you can question the character of our team," Cleary said.
"Thought it was on show all the way through the game, we just didn't play well enough, and that's kind of been the story of the season.
"We thought we'd played a lot better last week, but we're still trying to find what sort of team we are and our combinations and all that.
"Tonight was just, you have got to play well to win NRL games, especially when the opposition played well and we didn't play well enough."
Things don't get any easier for the Panthers in the coming weeks, with the four-time defending premiers to take on the Brisbane Broncos at Magic Round next weekend, before clashing with the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville during Round 10.
Their first bye of the season follows in Round 11, with the dreaded Origin period to follow.
Taking usual parameters, the Panthers likely need to win at least 10 of their final 16 games to qualify for the finals, and any chances of making the top four would likely require another 13 or even 14 wins of those 16 games.
