Geelong midfielder Mitch Duncan has labelled his side as a ‘mid-range’ team after their shock two-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.

Speaking to SEN’s Crunch Time, Duncan conceded that his side must improve if they are to make finals at year’s end.

“They probably got on top of us in the midfield, with their contested ball numbers and even ground ball numbers, getting to the next contest and outnumbering us, probably just outworked us in the end.” Duncan said.

The Dogs, who won the 2016 premiership on the back of pressure around the ball and winning the contested side of the game, got back to that style of play as they won the contested ball count 148-133.

“I think our second and third phase getting out after the ball just wasn’t up to scratch.” Duncan added.

“We’re just a mid-range team at the moment so a lot of the improvement from everyone has to happen if we’re going to make finals.”

Geelong currently sit eighth on the ladder with eight wins and six losses. They sit 1.2% behind 7^th placed Melbourne and are 9.8% ahead of ninth placed North Melbourne.

A win against Sydney on Thursday could see the Cats move to sixth on the ladder if other results go their way.