England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
