All the talk had been about Samu Kerevi playing his final home match in Queensland colours but it was another departing Reds leader that stepped up to the plate to end their drought against New Zealand sides in his final super Rugby match.
While Kerevi would still not confirm that the Reds' comeback 29-28 win against the Blues was his final home match in Queensland colours, former captain Scott Higginbotham, who will leave for French side Bordeaux at the end of the season, celebrated his final home game in style, scoring two tries to help break a 15-match losing streak to the Kiwis.
Already Super Rugby's leading try-scorer for a forward, Higginbotham extended his mark past 40 with a brace, including the match-winner in the 76th minute.
While Bryce Hegarty had to slot the conversion to edge the Reds past the Blues, it was Higginbotham's moment and one coach Brad Thorn was thrilled he could have in his final hitout for his state.
"Fantastic couple of weeks for the big guy," Thorn said.
"He only had his 100th game (for the Reds) last week and he could easily just have pulled back a bit and made sure he was good for his next gig but he's passionately wearing that jersey - as he should - and ripping in and he had two great tries.
"He brings really good voice to the group, really good presence.
"It's a great finish for him. If things had gone how they were looking at the start, it could have been really tough.
"If it had gone like it has for the last five weeks, it could have been brutal missing out in the last few minutes. But this week we get to smile and he gets to finish well in that jersey in a place that he's very proud of playing."
Kerevi continued to stay mum on whether the victory was his last home game for the Reds but his emotion after the match betrayed his silence.
With convention stating Japanese Top League Suntory should be the one to announce his signing, the Reds captain has been denied a fitting farewell by home fans.
Kerevi said the victory alone was responsible for his reaction.
"It was more that we hadn't beaten a New Zealand team for a while, so that was a pretty special moment with the boys and obviously sending off Scott on a good note," Kerevi said.
"I'm just really proud of the boys. For them to fight back like that shows the experience we've learnt the last couple of weeks.
"We came out the other end and I think all the emotion came out."
Kerevi's evasion was as good as any he has showed on the field this year as one of Super Rugby's leading players.
"I hope it's not my last game, I know there's a Wallaby game still to come (here), so hopefully there's plenty more games at Suncorp."
After watching one Queensland team dismantle the Blues at Suncorp Stadium this week, the Reds took a leaf out of the Queensland State of Origin manual and willed their way to the win.
A former Maroons representative, Thorn spoke to his side about the Origin match at the Reds captain's run on Thursday, asking for the same spirit in a milestone match for their leaders.
"From what I saw, there was a set of six there where they just decided to win," Thorn said of the Maroons.
"They just went to war for six tackles and they sent a message to each other. It wasn't one guy, it was en masse.
"You improve and you get better and you do stuff, but there's that next bit where you just decide to win games.
"I'm not saying we're there yet but we fought it out and we found a way to get that result.
"That was important. To get that pay tonight, to be able to smile and get to sing the team song, to see the people in the stands feeling proud about the Queensland rugby team, it was good."
Queensland started poorly, allowing the Blues to get out to a 21-5 lead with three converted tries inside the opening 22 minutes.
"At the start of the game, I thought this could be ugly," Thorn said.
"Each week there have been these 80-minute battles and we've just fallen the other side week after week and I felt like the guys were a bit flat.
"There were some special tries out there and we got the job done.
"The Highlanders were in front with five (minutes) to go in Dunedin, the Crusaders blitzed us the first 15 minutes or so and then we fought and they got us by 10 and then the Chiefs was a heart-breaker, who knows how we didn't score.
"And then today, the lads got the job done."
The Reds broke a 15-match losing streak against New Zealand teams to notch the first win against a Kiwi side since their one-point win against the Chiefs in 2016.
Higginbotham's try in the 76th minute left his team a point short of the Auckland side, with Bryce Hegarty stepping up to knock over the conversion in front of 9677 fans.
Just weeks after a horror game with the boot ended the Reds hopes of beating the Waratahs, Hegarty calmly slotted the attempt about 13m in from the left touch line to hand the Reds the win.
Higginbotham became the first forward to score 40 tries in Super Rugby when he scored the Reds' first try of the match but it was his final effort - off the back of pilfered ball from Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Liam Wright - that will become the stuff of legend.
Kerevi would not confirm his departure after the match but his actions spoke volumes.
The inspirational captain collapsed to the turf in tears at the fulltime whistle and was surrounded by teammates in a sign he won't be back in the maroon jersey next season.
Insipid defence and unimaginative attack plagued the Reds' chances for much of the match and when they were unable to score with the Blues reduced to 14 men late in the game, they seemed destined for another noble defeat.
But the injection of fresh legs in the final stages paid off for the home side as the teams were back on even terms, with Duncan Paia'aua finding Higginbotham and the veteran racing over to set up the nail-biting finish.
The Reds looked unlikely victors in the early stages.
The Blues scored after just two minutes, capitalising on a Reds turnover on the halfway line, with Blake Gibson eventually planting the ball over the line.
The Reds created a chance of their own soon after, Samu Kerevi bursting through the defensive line as he has all season. But Taniela Tupou's foot went into touch before he could plant the ball.
Instead, the Blues were able to capitalise on some poor Reds defence, again exploiting the right edge as Tanielu Tele'a notched the visitors' second try.
Kerevi said an announcement on his future is out of his hands but his actions did all the talking last night in what is almost definitely his final home game for Queensland.
His break and neat offload to Jock Campbell led to the Reds' first score, with the winger's neat backhand pass allowing Scott Higginbotham to race down the flank to score, becoming the first forward in Super Rugby to notch 40 tries.
As has so often been the case for the Reds this season though, the high was followed by a low as Blues scrumhalf Augustine Pulu raced over after some insipid defence from the Reds, with Otere Black's conversion giving the visitors a 21-5 lead and a cricket score looking possible.
But the Reds were finally roused from their slumber and clawed their way back into the match in the final stages of the half.
After being denied early, Tupou crashed over after the Reds opted for a lineout from a penalty, while a late penalty conversion from Bryce Hegarty kept the Reds in touch, down 21-15 at the break.
The Reds erased the deficit just two minutes after the break, when Bryce Hegarty scored in the corner, the try generated by scrumhalf Scott Malolua, who played with poise in his first run-on start.
But the inconsistency and ill discipline that has plagued the Reds season returned soon after, with Tupou charging into a Blues ruck from the side, handing the visitors the ball and Pulu his second try of the night.
Pulu was denied a third after he was ruled not to have released the ball in the desperate tackle of Kerevi and Filipo Daugunu before he played on.
But the Reds were still left chasing their tails in the final minutes of the match.
When flanker Dalton Papalii was sent to the bin after repeated infringements by the visitors inside their own 22, the Reds looked as though they would make the most of the advantage but their inability to create anything in attack left them short minutes from fulltime before Higginbotham's try set up a grandstand finish.
RESULT
Reds 29
Tries: Scott Higginbotham 2, Taniela Tupou, Bryce Hegarty
Cons: Bryce Hegarty 3
Pens: Hegarty
Blues 28
Tries: Blake Gibson, Tanielu Tele'a, Augustine Pulu 2
Cons: Otere Black 4
