Hurley said the defeat capped a ""tough"" period for the club, and that the players served up a showing that wouldn't have beaten any team in the competition.
""The way we performed definitely wasn't good enough. You shouldn't lose by that margin at any stage, and we did play against a fantastic team with a fantastic midfield and they played really well,"" Hurley said on Monday.
""But at the end of the day, if we play like that we're going to lose to anybody.""
The Bombers have lost six of their last seven games and have had five defeats in a row. If they win their last two games, against Richmond and Collingwood, they can sneak back into the top eight, but face a tough battle leapfrogging Carlton and Fremantle.
Hurley admitted the Bombers, in their current form, didn't deserve to make the finals.
""You always really want to play finals footy, but I suppose if we perform like we did on the weekend, then no, we don't deserve to be there,"" he said.
""But in saying that, if we play the way we know we can, I think we do.""
Hurley hopes more game time into the club's group of injury-affected players will help boost their confidence, but says the club is surprised by its drop-off in the second half of the year.
Essendon won eight of its first nine games and appeared set for a return to the top four for the first time since 2001. It hasn't been the way.
""Halfway through the year we were in a really good position and a few things happened that weren't ideal, and now we're just clinging on,"" Hurley said.
""I suppose it's been a bit of a shock and it's been pretty tough.""
