McKinna felt his players were switched on going into the Sunday afternoon encounter at ME Bank Stadium but still couldn't account for two defensive blunders that allowed Glory striker Daniel McBreen to score twice in the first 11 minutes.

McBreen took just 48 seconds to score as he stripped defender Chris Doig of the ball before a fumbled clearance from Andrew Clark led to the striker's second just 10 minutes later.

The Glory made it three on the stroke of half-time as Andrija Jukic nodded home before Adam Kwasnik pulled one back for the visitors in the second half.

It mattered little as Glory held on for full points, with McKinna struggling to understand how his once imperious defence was breached so easily, particularly in a game where a win would see his side move to just four points outside the top six with two games remaining.

"You wouldn't expect those mistakes in an under-10 team you know," McKinna said. "They were basic mistakes. You know you can prepare all you want, you can have everyone looking good on the whiteboard but you can't make basic mistakes like that.

"We've gone from having the best defensive record in the league to hopping goals that are just not good enough."

He added: "That was a game we couldn't rely on anyone else, we had to go and win that game and to start off, not even in the first minute and you're down 1-0.

"Obviously the momentum of that gives Perth a boost, puts us on the backfoot. We've still got 90 minutes to come back in it and then to do it again, concede another.

"It just knocks the stuffing right out of you early ... I don't think there's any cure for giving away goals like that."

Mariners vice-captain John Hutchinson expressed the mood in the dressing room as the club's winless streak extended to 10 matches.

"Devastating really," he said. "Disappointing doesn't sum it up. The season just fell apart. We got the great start and I think at one stage we were second or third on the ladder and to now be fighting it out for the wooden spoon, it's horrible really.

"It's something that I didn't think would be happening this season with the squad we had and players need to take responsibility, you can't keep throwing it back in the faces of the coaching or the club.

"I'll take responsibility from my side of it, being vice captain and saying something or just letting it go."

He admited: "(I) let some things go and if we maybe put our foot down a bit and worked a bit harder at training, sometimes just worked harder in the game, it could have had a different result.

"It's something that myself and all the older boys need to work harder at and not let happen again."