Speaking after losing 3-2 to their NSW rivals in an entertainment extravaganza at the SFS, McKinna said: “Hutch scored a screamer in the first half and if we'd come in at the break at 2-1, I'd have been very confident to get a result. But it was 3-1.

“Hutch came up with another great goal. We huffed and puffed and John Aloisi's done great and Danny [Vukovic] made some good saves but on the day, we didn't deserve to win.”

A disappointed McKinna added that his side's much-vaunted teamwork deserted them on the big day.

“There were some good individual performances but as a team unit, we didn't compete from the first minute as a team," he said. "It was our worst performance of the season.

“As a unit, which has been our strong point this year, we never closed down, we never passed men on and hence, we conceded two early goals.”

He added: "We never looked composed on the ball. It was basic stuff happening all over the field. It just wasn't our day. We could have been smashed out there.

"Credit to our team for digging in but we're definitely not playing well. There's no excuses. We never gave up though."

The Mariners will have a chance to regroup this week ahead of the visit of the reigning champions Melbourne Victory next weekend.

"It'd be nice to keep winning games - it'd make my job a lot easier," he said. "I wouldn't say we're concerned, more disappointed. We have to bounce back."