He felt his side was right in the game against Canterbury at halftime at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night.
"Halftime, the signs were really good. We were competitive. We had put them under pressure. We were patient at the right time.
"But as soon as we departed the structure we know best, individuals started making errors they would not normally make, and that put us under massive pressure.
"And that started putting a ripple through the team. You only need to make one mistake against Canterbury to concede a try.
"They were two soft tries we conceded, to be honest. They were gifts purely through our errors.
"When a guy carries the ball he has got a couple of choices to make and we didn't make great choices at times. That put the whole team under pressure."
The side more than matched Canterbury, which Hunter pointed out was on top of the premiership.
He said Otago was creating chances but there was a lack of composure at certain times.
"These guys have got to learn week by week they can not make the same mistakes. That has been a wee bit frustrating tonight as we put ourselves in the game yet we put ourselves out of the game by the things we did ... it was not like Canterbury created a lot."
He said the side did not practise carrying out chip kicks so it was disappointing players had decided to opt for that tactic.
"We tend to take two steps forward and one step back sometimes, and ... the second 40 minutes especially, was one of those.
"I think we have improved throughout the season, but the standard across the board has improved.
"You could not say we were terribly outplayed tonight. The errors we made were our own. They weren't forced on us."
With one game left, against Manawatu tomorrow night, and little to play for, Hunter said the side would be fully motivated.
He had praise for young No 8 Gareth Evans and prop Kees Meeuws, who almost scored a try at the end.
Fourteen members of the 1961 Otago team held a 50th reunion in Dunedin on Saturday.
The side was coached by Bruce Barnes and the highlight was the international against the touring French team at Carisbrook, where Otago was beaten 15-6.
The most notable player attending the reunion was 1964 All Black Don Clark, who played 79 games for Otago between 1960 and 1967. Others included Dave Johnston, Ken Eglinton, Tom Jopson, John Flannery, Ian (I.D.) Smith, Bruce Duncan, Graeme Merrilees and Vic Lloyd.
