The Dees continued their slow starts to games with a disappointing three-goal first half, and Bailey said next week's clash against St Kilda would be a test of his players' resolve.
“I think the damage will be determined by next week's game," Bailey said. "We will see what sort of response we get from a really poor effort today.
“The great challenge is for the guys who were poor today to show something next week.”
Adelaide dominated the game from the opening bounce, thrashing the Demons in the clearances and inside 50s, with an outstanding 60 to just 29 in that stat.
Bailey said the loss was definitely one of the worst in his time at the helm.
“I reckon it’s right up there if you look at the stats,” he said.
“The result, the stats spell a pretty simple message that our collective competitiveness just wasn’t there.”
The Demons coach was pleased with the performances of Matthew Bate (four goals and six marks) and Jack Grimes (26 possessions and nine marks).
However, Bailey said further work must be done on basic skills, which uncharacteristically crumbled under Adelaide’s immense pressure.
“We turned it over with handball and kicking and we couldn’t get the ball past halfway often enough,” he said.
“That first handball has got to be really effective to a player who is on the move rather than a player who is stationary. That happened far too often today.”
“It made it hard for our forward line to even compete, with the way we delivered the ball from half-back and the middle of the ground.”
Melbourne has not won at AAMI Stadium since 2001, and the Demons never looked like breaking that run on Sunday.
“The group that has gone through today has now only contributed to that really poor history,” Bailey said.
The coach said he expected a few changes to the line-up before next match and told players to expect a rigorous week on the training track.
“If you don’t bring into the game then we’ll get it out of you during the week,” he said.
