2012 we went 1 win, 1 draw and 10 losses in the last 12 after we were 4-6 after 10. 2010 was a year we looked set for a top 5 draft pick and went 5-1 in the last 6. It was even more extreme in 2000, after round 12 we were 1-1-11 and then we were 6-4 for the last 10 games.
2000 is the case I've come back to multiple times on this forum. Dead last after losing to St. Kilda. At that point it was known Reiwoldt was going to be the no. 1 pick and it was 98% likely he was going to be a 10 year gun forward. The club had every incentive to lay down and die the second half of the season. We didn't. St. Kilda did, they ended up with Reiwoldt. We went on to win a flag, St. Kilda effectively said 'losing is ok, there's always another year' and have repeatedly failed in finals since then.
It's simple IMO. Most footballers aren't rocket scientists, you can't say 'losing now is ok' and then turn around later and say 'losing isn't ok'. You either have a culture of accepting losses or you have a culture where they burn. From late Choco through Primus our club moved away from not accepting losses and we've mostly kicked it, but this year shows there's still a few of those demons to remove. A losing culture is insidious and takes years to remove. And the longer it's been accepted, the longer it takes. At least with Port the fans never accepted it.
It'd be hell at times being the St. Kilda, Bulldogs or Melbourne coach, as many of their fans have long since given up and accept the odd win or good show as good enough. The coach has to battle the players, fans and often others at the club to break it. It's why we've seen so many coaches come into those clubs determined to turn around their culture and been spat out the other end shells of the men they were entering. You can only fight a war on so many fronts before you go under.