Otago's faint hopes of making the play-offs went up in smoke on Saturday night when the side lost 38-10 to Taranaki in New Plymouth.
But Carvell said the side had a meeting yesterday morning and was keen to get back to Carisbrook and play well in the final three games.
"The guys were particularly disappointed in the way the game went. They talked about what needs to be done and how to bounce back from it. They want to make Carisbrook a tough place to play for visiting teams," Carvell said.
"The guys were hurting after the loss. There was that feeling they did not do what they had set out to do and they had let themselves and their supporters down."
Carvell said the game on Saturday night was one where a whole lot of little things contributed to the defeat.
He pointed to the weather, which got worse as the game went on, too much dropped ball at critical stages, the rulings in the ruck and maul by replacement referee Chris Morrison, and the attempt to play catch-up rugby which backfired on Otago.
Carvell said once the team started to play catch-up rugby it went away from doing what came naturally and that was when errors started creeping in.
Otago was down just 12-10 at the break but two quick converted tries by Taranaki in the first six minutes of the second half put Otago behind the eight ball and forced it to move the ball in the wet weather.
Carvell said Taranaki got momentum in the second half, and that was hard to stop, especially in the wet conditions the side was not used to.
Starting referee Bryce Lawrence cried off with a sore groin after 10 minutes, and was replaced by Morrison.
Carvell questioned Morrison's rulings at the ruck and maul, and said that led to some Otago players becoming unsure of what to do around the breakdown, where he felt Taranaki got away with a lot.
The side had its opportunities in the first half, with winger Ryan Shortland making a good break, nearly setting up a try for fullback Ben Smith, and Smith himself was lowered later in the half with the try line in sight.
But those opportunities had to be converted, and Taranaki did take its chances well in the second stanza.
Players dropped the ball more than in any other game this season, Carvell said, but that could be put down to the wet weather.
Though Otago had more territory and possession, it did not dominate at key stages in the game, and Taranaki made better use of the ball when in the attacking zone.
The loss leaves Otago in 10th place, as the bottom five sides in the competition all lost.
Otago has three games left, all at Carisbrook, against Waikato, Tasman and Counties-Manukau.
