The Western Bulldogs have a mountain to climb after Saturday's loss to Melbourne, but coach Paul Groves says it is too early to rule the Dogs out of AFL Women's premiership contention.
Demons skipper Daisy Pearce starred in the 6.7 (43) to 4.5 (29) win at Whitten Oval that saw the Bulldogs slump to a 1-2 record.
With the top two teams after seven rounds to contest the AFLW grand final, the Bulldogs - one of the top pre-competition fancies - are back in fifth.
"In all honesty I do think we can still make it," Groves said.
"But if we get beaten in facets of the game like we did (against Melbourne) it's going to be hard work.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"But the talent is in my squad so we can certainly have a crack at it.
"Potentially with two losses you can still make it.
"It just sets the scene for a huge game against Collingwood.
"Two losses isn't ideal, I'd certainly rather be 2-1 or 3-0, but we'll look to bounce back."
The Dogs were without star skipper Katie Brennan against the Demons, but Groves is hopeful she will be fit for next week's clash against the winless Pies.
The Demons got their season back on track with two wins in the past fortnight moving them to fourth with a 2-1 record.
"We're pleased because we know our game is continuing to improve," coach Michael Stinear said.
"We're pleased we've been able to get a couple of wins in a row now, but we certainly understand there's plenty of work to be done.
"We just want to see this group improve every day."
The Demons will attempt to keep their winning momentum going when they host Carlton at Casey Fields on Saturday.
