Queensland captain James Slipper fears a nagging collarbone injury may sideline him as the Reds desperately search to rediscover their early-season Super Rugby form.
The prop saw barely 20 minutes of action at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, watching from the bench as the Chiefs strolled to a 36-12 victory.
Slipper admitted the injury was worse than he had initially thought, putting in doubt for Saturday's clash with the Lions.
"I've been carrying a bit of a collarbone injury; I didn't think it was that serious, but was just a bit painful tonight," he said.
"I'll do everything I can, put my hand up (to play), but I'm sure there's people above me that will make that decision for me."
The Reds showed plenty under new coach Brad Thorn to win three on the trot, but four straight defeats since then have seen them lose ground.
Now 3-5 and on 13 points, the Reds are well back from the conference-leading Waratahs (24), while the Brumbies (21) play the Jaguares at home on Sunday.
Thorn said his side need to remove the basic errors and show the form that was on display six weeks earlier in Brisbane when they beat the Bulls.
"The first 10, 20, 30 minutes, you can't go into your shell," he said.
"It's not a choice that you have.
"If you're making a lot of errors (against the Lions next Saturday) it's going to be a tough day."
Meanwhile, Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie has been cleared of any injuries despite not returning after a first-half head knock against the Reds.
"He's alright; he's pretty angry we dragged him but he's a special player and we take no risks with him," Chiefs coach Colin Cooper said, revealing he had passed the head injury assessment.
"But we still pulled him because he was dazed ... that's why he was grumpy."
