Samu Kerevi and the Reds know they have reached the point of no return.
It's been said several times this week but a win against the Force tomorrow night is non-negotiable."Everyone understands the importance of it all," Kerevi said.
"Obviously we're a chance of making the finals and I thought we played a more consistent game against the Rebels.
"We want to do that against the Force as well."
Poor Australian Conference results mean the Reds still have the chance to determine their own fate.
Despite having only won one less game than the Australian Conference-leading Brumbies, ACT have notched seven bonus points - many of them in close losses - to Queensland’s four.
That puts the Reds seven points back, meaning a win on Friday night against the Force is critical.
If they lose and the Brumbies beat the Jaguares in Argentina, their season will be over.
The inverse of those results would put the Reds in prime position to put their noses in front in the final bounds of the season.
They travel to Samoa to face a Blues team due to play the British and Irish Lions four days later, before hosting the Brumbies upon returning from the June break.
That is then followed with a near-impossible final round task - a road trip to Dunedin to face the red hot Highlanders.
Those three games will be similarly critical but they will mean nothing should the Reds fail to collect four points tomorrow night.
"They've got threats right across the board and they've got a good forward pack coming out," Kerevi said.
"For us, it's about our own game and we need to get an 80 minute performance out there to solidify ourselves as a finals contender."
