Reuben Cotter will be hoping he won't have to endure another 90 minutes like those he spent following North Queensland's shock 42-18 loss to struggling rivals Brisbane.
The seventh-placed Cowboys had a chance to sew up an NRL finals berth last Saturday with a win against the Broncos, who had lost eight out of their previous nine matches.
But they capitulated with a feeble second-half defensive performance in which they let in five unanswered tries, orchestrated by an injured Reece Walsh.
With a bye in hand, the defeat means the Cowboys must still win at least one match of their remaining three - an unenviable task with the desperate Canberra, ladder-leading Melbourne and red-hot Canterbury lying in wait.
"We had our (video) review and it was an uncomfortable watch," Cowboys co-captain Cotter said on Tuesday.
"Defensively we weren't good enough, so we've addressed that and this morning everyone's turned up with a great attitude."
After three wins on the trot, the result certainly brought the Cowboys back down to earth.
Cotter believes it may prove an important wake-up call.
"Sometimes I think, as bad as it was, it's sort of comes at a good time," he said.
"Probably give us a bit of a kick up the arse, you know. These next few games are very important."
If the Cowboys are to bounce back against the Raiders on Saturday they will need to do so without prolific second-rower Jeremiah Nanai.
Nanai, who has scored a league-high 12 tries for a forward this season, has been ruled out after failing an HIA against the Broncos.
Young stand-in Kulikefu Finefeuiaki garnered high praise from his captain.
"He's a great player," Cotter said.
"He brings aggression to an edge and I love the way he carries the ball and defensively he's strong as well.
"He's definitely one you want on your team and one that you don't want to verse."
Finefeuiaki has a point to prove after an "off game" against the Broncos.
"This week I need to clean those little areas up and hopefully I can do my best for the team and especially my edge," said the 20-year-old.
"I can probably improve especially in my defence. My movements are a bit on and off from week to week, so I just need to clean that up and especially get my tackling in and try to stick it."
