Playmaker Berrick Barnes has attributed the Queensland Reds' deflating month of woe to being blinded by ''our own press'' as the Super 14's entertainers.
But he and coach Phil Mooney believed there would be little chance of falling for the same mistake in preparing for Saturday night's clash with the ACT Brumbies after their 31-24 boilover on the road against the Auckland Blues.
As well as ending a 20-match, three-year drought on the road, the four-try performance snapped a four-match losing streak by Queensland after it upset the previously-unbeaten Durban Sharks in round five.
Hidings by the Waiakto Chiefs and Western Force were followed by an unlucky loss to the Otago Highlanders in Invercargill before last week's humiliating home defeat to the lowly Johannesburg Lions which prompted a huge outcry from fans.
Barnes, who moved from inside centre to flyhalf to guide the Reds around North Harbour Stadium, said the Lions loss jolted the team back to earth after it got drunk on the entertainers' tag, let preparation standards slip and executed poorly.
''There was a lot of soul searching but we were very positive and we did our best to sort out everything and get everyone moving along the same line,'' he said.
''But that's going to be the challenge next week going up against the Brumbies, keeping up that preparation.
''Part of the problem has been reading our own press. I think as a young team you can get a false sense of security we won't do that sort of stuff this week.
''We've got to focus on getting our own game right and getting our self-belief back and this game has gone a long way to achieving that.''
Mooney agreed, ''That's why you don't read newspapers when you're a sportsman because you either believe you're better than what you are or you get ahead of yourselves.''
On a cold and wet Auckland night, Barnes emphatically stamped himself as Australia's perfect back-up No10 to Matt Giteau.
Barnes, wearing No12 but playing at 10 after a switch with Quade Cooper, is likely to keep the role in Saturday night's all-Australian derby at Suncorp Stadium.
Queensland has only enjoyed one win from 14 matches against the Brumbies and a second would celebrate veteran Reds' hooker Sean Hardman's record in becoming the most capped Queenslander eclipsing Mark Connors' mark of 134.
Hardman will go head to head with former teammate Stephen Moore, who he competed with for four seasons for the No2 jersey.
Queensland will be without promising winger Luke Morahan (shoulder) but is expected to have Wallabies finisher Peter Hynes back from a knee injury.
Mooney indicated he'll give some thought to retaining Charlie Fetoai at outside centre after his match for Queensland which included a tackle-shedding second-half try.
Meanwhile, the Force is likely to welcome back influential No8 Richard Brown from an ankle injury for its crunch game with the Pretoria Bulls on Sunday.
The Force climbed from ninth to sixth with its 55-14 bonus-point triumph over the Lions at Subiaco Oval on Friday night.
The victory was just the tonic ahead of the Force's make-or-break tour of South Africa.
The Force needs to topple the second-placed Bulls and then the unpredictable Cape Town Stormers before returning to Perth for a last-round encounter with the Highlanders. AAP
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