Reds fell off the 'see-saw'
The Reds suffered a heartbreaking 29-32 loss to the Western Force because they failed to play for a full 80 minutes.
Force fullback Jayden Hayward scored a converted try a minute from time to secure his team the victory in a thrilling Super Rugby clash in Brisbane on Saturday.
The lead swapped eight times in the nail-biting encounter, with the Reds leading by four points toward the end of the match – before Hayward snatched victory away.
Reds coach Richard Graham was disappointed his team was unable to defend what he thought was a winnable position.
"By the time it was 29-25 we had given ourselves every opportunity to win," Graham said.
"It was pretty obvious from the way the game had gone across the 80 minutes, if you were down the right end of the field you were going to score points, whether that be through penalties or tries.
"I thought we started the game well, but we weren't rewarded for it.
"We did well to come back from 0-12 and should have gone in with a lead at half-time.
"It turned out to be a 40-minute contest but we weren't able to hold on."
The Reds will look to bounce back at Suncorp Stadium next Friday, against the conference-leading Brumbies.
"It's a huge game for us, it was always going to be regardless of the result in this match" Graham said.
"The loss has magnified that and we have six days now to get it right.
"We need to win next week. That's an important game and we have talked about this sequence of three games after a long stretch away so it's important we get a win."
