Brisbane coach Ross Aloisi has vowed to "go for it" rather than limit the damage as he waits for the cavalry to return from injury.
The Roar lost 3-0 to Central Coast at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night, a second-straight A-League Men's loss after a four-game unbeaten run had them on the cusp of top spot.
Admitting they were out-muscled, Aloisi said the absence of veterans Scott Neville, Corey Brown, key defender Antonee Burke-Gilroy, Frenchman Florin Berenguer and Henry Hore had told.
They meet Melbourne City next Thursday night, with none of those five likely to be fit again to feature.
But Aloisi's mindset isn't to hang on as they cling to a spot in the top six.
"It's interesting because the issue is, I don't hang on," he said.
"We're still going for it but I need more; forward runs, forward passes.
"We're not hanging on; we just need to play the football we've been playing."
He pointed to their 2-0 win in Adelaide earlier this month with much the same squad as proof that it wasn't foolish.
The Roar had nine shots to the Mariners' seven, five of those on target compared to the Mariners' four.
And the Roar had 60 per cent of the ball.
Aloisi referenced those statistics to show they had at least tried to take the game on, but tipped his cap to the resurgent defending champions.
"It's personnel, but we've got no excuses," he said.
"I don't want to sit here and talk about the injuries but with five first-eleven players out, what do you think's going to happen?
"We'll have to do the review and, hopefully, we put on a better performance."
