The Rovers president nursed an injured hip in the aftermath of his team's 6-2 loss to Tamworth FC on Saturday, but his visible dismay was not wholly due to the result. It was the team's inconsistency that perplexed him.

"We have really good games where we're really competitive like we were against Northies and Southies, they were really good games," Barton said.

"But then in other games, the energy's just not quite there."

Such was the case on Saturday, when the Rovers felt that the penalty which allowed Tamworth to score its first goal was questionable.

"We dropped our heads a little bit," Barton said.

"They [Tamworth] were a bit hungrier, especially after that first goal. We were a bit deflated with the circumstances."

The performances Barton referenced - 1-1 draws against North Companions in round five and Souths United in round four - proved to him that the Rovers can mix with the top sides this year.

But their last two games, in which the club has struggled with injury absences as well, resulted in one-sided defeats.

In spite of those scorelines, Barton said the morale among the Rovers remains high.

"The camaraderie is still there, it's building and building and building," he said.

Although he is frustrated with their lack of wins, Barton expected the team's return to the Premier League competition to be tough. Regardless, the side is roughly where he hoped they would be by this stage in the season.

"We're definitely finding more of our style - what really works for us and where people fit in," he said.

"It's just about getting them all fit, we've had a few injuries, we get them back on the paddock together and get that consistency. It's been a tough year, but it's looking good."

So while Hillvue doesn't have the wins it would like on its resume this year, Barton takes comfort in the knowledge that this relatively inexperienced side is showing clear improvement.

"There are lot of guys that haven't really played at this level for a while," he said.

"Everyone makes mistakes, you have to roll with the punches and keep going."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: