The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.