CO-CAPTAIN Jack Trengove says Sunday’s 69-point loss against Adelaide Crows at the MCG was a reality check.

Trengove said the Demons were pleased with their start against the Crows, but couldn’t match them for four quarters.

“The first quarter was really positive, even though we were about 10 points down at quarter time. We were right in the game and matching it with them, and felt really good,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“But in the third quarter, that’s what’s been letting us down all year - a few inconsistencies.

“We can’t sustain a four quarter effort at the moment, which is really disappointing, but it’s something that we’ve got to keep working on.”

Trengove said the 2012 season had been a wake-up call for the Demons, and the challenge was to now have a massive pre-season.

“This season, we’re a bit off the pace, and it’s a real reality check today (Sunday),” he said.

“When the Crows were up and about and playing at their best, they are a top four side and it showed in that third quarter, so we’ve got a lot of work to do.

“We’ve known that the whole season, but it was a reality check and it’s going to be another big pre-season, because we’ve got a lot of improvement to go.”