Liam Wright says the Reds still have the belief they can make a run for the Super Rugby finals but how they respond to the weekend's loss to the Sharks will determine whether they can be a competitive outfit.
The Reds take on defending champions the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday after having their set piece mauled by the Sharks the weekend's 33-23 loss.
Queensland has prided itself on its set-piece strength but its lineout was a disaster and even the vaunted scrum struggled to match the strength of the South African side.
But Wright said the loss had not shattered the confidence of his side, who head to New Zealand this week attempting to become the third Australian side in three weeks to win across the ditch.
"I think our group's still very tight," he said.
"We know what we're capable of and that our systems work and we're ready to put that forward.
"We've obviously had a tough start to the season and it was not the way we wanted to do it but we're still within the fight.
"We haven't played many Aussie conference games and if we get some good wins there against Aussie conference opponents, the way Super Rugby is structured, we can still get into that finals picture that way as well.
"So we're still confident in ourselves and our group and what we're going to put forward on the field."
A win against the Crusaders on Friday would be massive but the Reds will head in as underdogs and face the real prospect of heading back to Brisbane with a 1-5 record, a position from which many teams would struggle to recover.
"The way we respond to this will be big - not just in terms of simple win/losses but the way we conduct ourselves, especially on the training paddock," Wright said.
"Everyone only gets to see what happens on Saturdays but I'm going to make sure the boys respond well during the week as well and put everything we can into getting those results.
"Like we've been saying the last few weeks, if we trust the process, everything else will take care of itself."
Certainly the Reds are sick of professional sport's version of regret the morning after the night before.
Having led all five of their games this season at halftime, Queensland has finished the job just once, in their runaway win over the Sunwolves.
"It was another game we led at halftime we could have taken," Wright said.
"We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities that we let slip.
"It makes it tough, especially going into a game against the reigning champs and we're going to have another look at it this week and ask ourselves if we're doing everything possible to make sure we're winning."
The Reds are likely to have the services of James O'Connor in Christchurch despite the flyhalf coming off with a rolled ankle early in the second half of the Sharks clash.
With the short turnaround into the Crusaders clash, O'Connor is racing the clock but Wright said it was not serious.
"It's going to be a bit of a niggle for him this week which we're going to work through day by day," he said.
"At the moment he's looking positive to get back on the field but that's something our strength team will look at.
"At the moment it's not looking too bad and he'll take it day by day."
And no.8 Harry Wilson is also expected to be available after being concussed against the Sharks.
"By all accounts he's passed his concussion tests fine and we'll look at the return to play protocols but he should be fine to play on Friday."
The Reds will take confidence from the results of the Brumbies and Rebels in New Zealand over the last fortnight but face a different challenge against the ruthless Crusaders.
"Australia hasn't lost to New Zealand in 14 days or something, so we're looking to continue that," Wright said.
"Obviously our job's pretty hard against the Crusaders and they're playing well too and got a good rest on the weekend.
"I think the main thing the Crusaders do, is they do the simple things well. They don't try to overcomplicate everything but they do the simple things - the ruck, maul, tackle contest, passing - to a very high standard.
"You see their tries, one in particular was the one Richie Mo'unga scored the other week, a simple pass out the back of the forward pod and everyone's holding their lined, doing the passes to the right angle and so he goes through the hole and scores the try.
"Rugby can be a simple game when you play it like that."
It's something the Reds are trying to emulate given their tendency to push the play when they become bored with restraint, despite their systems paying off when they maintain discipline.
"Brad (Thorn) coming from the Crusaders, that's something that he's tried to put on to us, just to make sure we're doing the simple things right," Wright said.
"We've simplified a lot of our structures this year which has had some results for us.
"Going forward, we've got to take it on ourselves as players, no matter the situation in games, we just keep doing our roles well to the best of our ability."
The Reds take on the Crusaders on Friday, March 6 in Christchurch, kicking off at 5:50pm AEDT, with the match broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports, Kayo and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO.
