Rebels skipper Adam Coleman will miss his second straight match on Friday, ruled out of Melbourne's pivotal penultimate round clash against the Reds.
Coleman suffered an adductor strain in the Wallabies' third Test loss to Ireland and while it was initially thought he would be right to face Queensland, coach Dave Wessels put a pen through that notion on Tuesday.
In better news both Marika Koroibete and Tetera Faulkner will be available for selection in what shapes as a season defining night for Melbourne.
Wessels' side will control their own finals destiny as they currently sit eighth on the Super Rugby ladder and a win against the lowly Reds would all but assure they maintain that spot.
"The great thing is that we are currently sitting in a playoff spot," Wessels said.
"If we do the things that are in our control we stay in a playoff spot - that's the position that we are in."
Setting a new high watermark in that space is always a small milestone but Wessels wants to ensure his side are focused on the job at hand rather than the big picture.
"I'm proud of the boys for the style of rugby that we are going to play because that's the style we said we were going to do," he said.
"We said we were going to be brave and play in a way which makes the people of Melbourne proud but a big part of what we are trying to do here is win.
"We want to make sure in the days leading up to Friday we know that we can go one better.
"We play well but we do that for the full 80 minutes to make sure we get the outcome."
Wessels will not be lulled into a false sense of security despite Queensland's late season slide, pointing to their backs as a threat which must be stopped to ensure success.
"I think in reality the Reds are a very good side and things, at times, haven't gone their way but they certainly have some very good players - some world class players," he said.
"Our approach to dealing with a few dangerous runners is to throw a few punches of our own.
"If you allow them to have the ball in the way that they want to have the ball they can really hurt you.
"We focus very hard on playing the game on our terms and doing the things we want to do."
The Rebels face the Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, kicking off at 7:45pm AEST, broadcast LIVE on FOX SPORTS and RUGBY.com.au radio.
