The ACT Brumbies outside centre squandered a chance to make a big statement in his Super Rugby AU return when Tate McDermott's last ditch effort forced him to spill the ball over the line in the 20^th minute.

It was a moment which just about summed up the Brumbies' evening in a 26-7 round 10 loss to the Queensland Reds at Brisbane's Lang Park on Saturday night.

Now Dan McKellar's side, headlined by Berry's Will Miller, has less than two weeks to either bury the Brisbane defeat - which continued their five-year winless streak in the sunshine state - or use it as fuel.

Because the Brumbies' next game is a shot at silverware when they host the grand final at Canberra Stadium on September 19 against either the Reds or Melbourne Rebels.

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"It's just crucial we look at our own performance there, make sure we focus on our work-ons and see who we play next week," Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said on Fox Sports post match.

"They came out hard. We played really well but we just couldn't capitalise on the possession we had. We were down their end a number of times but we just made crucial errors.

"That's something for us to work on. We had a lot of momentum in the second half ... we just couldn't capitalise."

The most promising statistic in the Brumbies' favour should Queensland set up a rematch? The home team has won the past 10 meetings between the ACT outfit and the Reds.

On this night the Brumbies trailed by 18 points late in the first half and would have entered the break scoreless if not for Pete Samu's try on the stroke of half-time.

Kuridrani's near miss was one of many for the visitors in the opening stanza. Andy Muirhead ran out of time to regather a kick over the goal line and Nic White was held up soon after.

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The second half was a clear improvement but the visitors ultimately found themselves in far too big a hole to crawl out of with handling errors proving to be their Achilles heel.

So it was somewhat fitting McDermott sealed the deal when he swooped on a loose ball to score a try after Brumbies flyhalf Bayley Kuenzle put down a bomb inside the final five minutes.

But Reds skipper Liam Wright knows there is work to be done, adamant "our job is only just beginning now."

AT A GLANCE

Super Rugby AU round 10: QUEENSLAND REDS 26 (Liam Wright, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Tate McDermott tries; James O'Connor conversion; O'Connor 3 penalties) bt ACT BRUMBIES 7 (Pete Samu try; Bayley Kuenzle conversion) at Lang Park. Referee: Nic Berry