The Highlanders were beaten 19-18 by the Force in Perth in Saturday night, their fifth straight loss to the Western Australian side.
The loss is their 11th of the season, and the Highlanders are on track to finish last, which they have only done once before, in 1997. They trail the 14th-placed Force, which has a guaranteed four points for the bye next weekend, by six points.
There were few highlights for the visiting team on Saturday night, although fullback Ben Smith was again a solid performer, which was noted by Joseph.
''Some guys have played well all season and I do feel sorry for them. There is nothing more that Ben Smith can do,'' Joseph said.
''I feel for guys like Brad Thorn who have stuck their hands up all season and worked hard. They have not lowered their heads once.''
The problem for Joseph is there are too few good performers, and too many in the ''must do better'' category.
One of those is replacement winger Tino Nemani, who effectively lost the game for the Highlanders when he tackled Force fullback Jayden Hayward in the air. Nemani was penalised and Hayward got up to kick the penalty to win the game with time all but up on the clock.
Joseph said he knew the Force would be a torrid opponent and would not go away, but the Highlanders had the match won with a couple of minutes to go.
''It is really disappointing because we blew that game. It was always going to be tough against the Force. They have been like that all season.
''We had fought our way back into the game, kicked a goal from over 50m to win that game and then that happened. I just feel for the other 21 guys who tried hard out there tonight.''
The butterfingers, which have plagued the team all season, continued.
''We had opportunities in the first half but we knocked the ball on. There are all sorts of reasons for that. But you learn as a young man you can't score points when you drop the ball.
''That comes from pressure from the opposition, then pressure from the situation that the guys find themselves in.
There were no serious injuries from the match as the team returned to Dunedin yesterday, to get ready for the Blues this Saturday night at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
The Blues will be stinging after suffering a 20-13 loss to the Brumbies at Eden Park on Saturday night. In games in South Africa, the Cheetahs beat the Kings 34-22, the Stormers beat the Reds 20-15, and the Bulls pipped the Sharks 18-16.
