Queensland Reds captain Fraser McReight could see the positives out of last week's tense victory over Moana Pasifika, confident it'll serve as the perfect finals preview.
The Reds' win in Auckland came amid emotional scenes for the hosts, who were playing what appears to be their final home game in Super Rugby Pacific.
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It took a late Jock Campbell try to seal victory and finals for the Reds, with McReight praising their resolve.
“I thought it was really a great exercise for us to be able to manage our emotions when that was happening, try to wrestle the momentum and able to get back in front with a minute to go and close out that game was an excellent last minute finish going into finals," McReight said.
“...The game on the weekend, we did really well to give ourselves a great chance to separate ourselves but Moana, they're a good side and they had a big stand out there, a lot of emotional energy, and we weren't really that clinical in that 50-75 minutes there and they were able to get some really quick tries out of nothing, that shows the power that they do have."
The Reds currently sit in sixth on the ladder but have eyes on improving their position with a big win over the Fijian Drua in Brisbane.
Les Kiss' side can finish as high as fourth in the standings, which would see them avoid a potential away trip to Wellington to face the Hurricanes.
"I think you want to work on the things that you probably didn't execute or we haven't been executing the past few weeks," McReight said on this week's focus.
“You do want to finish high on the ladder but the ladder's evolving and it's always changing.
“For us, it's about what we can do and what we can control and that's our performance.”
Young gun Treyvon Pritchard will start at fullback, with McReight eager to see how he continues his standout maiden season in Super Rugby.
“Really excited for him. We've had a great week and he's looking dangerous out there and super abrasive," the skipper added.
“He's able to beat defenders easily and maintain his composure in the collisions at home as well so in front of his mum and his dad and his other siblings, it's going to be exciting."
