Melbourne captain Max Gawn is steadfast that the club still has plenty to play for in season 2024 despite being officially ruled out of the finals.
The club's Round 22 loss to Port Adelaide put a line through their chances of featuring in September footy, which has been a constant for the past three years.
And with calls to potentially rest senior players for the remaining two home and away games, Gawn said that would be detrimental to the Demons' culture.
"You can't turn culture on or off, in particular your senior players," Gawn said on Triple M. "I think it's always that's something that keeps on growing.
"If we threw the towel in for these last two, that is hard to get back in the pre-season and next year, you start spiralling downhill.
"If I got injured, I would rest."
It comes as key defender Steven May has yet to be given a timeline on his rib injury, with the premiership backman not to be used again this year with a fortnight remaining.
Clayton Oliver's form has come into question after a quiet outing against the Power while Melbourne's forward line continues to struggle to kick a winning score.
The Demons will be looking to turn around their bad form away from home when they take on Gold Coast at People First Stadium on Saturday.