The Rebels have turned to renowned mental leadership coach Tom Dawson-Squibb to help prepare for a clash against the Crusaders that could decide their Super Rugby season.
Melbourne take on one of Super Rugby's toughest tasks this week - playing the Crusaders in Christchurch - with the result key to their hopes of making the finals.
After a flying start to the season, the Rebels have lost five of their past seven games, only notching wins against competition cellar dwellers the Reds and Sunwolves.
While the Crusaders have just come off a loss themselves, playing the runaway competition leaders on their home turf remains a daunting ask.
Dawson-Squibb has been working with the Rebels throughout the season and assistant coach Kevin Foote said his advice would be called on this week.
"It's a focus on how we prepare ourselves," Foote said when asked how the Rebels would approach the clash against a team likely to already be gearing up for post-season play.
"We've got a great mental leadership coach, Tom Dawson-Squibb, who does a great job of getting our heads in the right place, setting the tone for the week and then we stay true to that.
"Don’t get distracted, don't think about things that aren't going to put you on that course - you stay true to things you believe in and that takes care of your mental space.
"If you start thinking outside the box, if you start drifting and getting distracted, then that's when you can get yourself into trouble.
"So with the work of Tom, the coaches and everyone involved, we stay on course."
With two games remaining in the season, the Rebels are five points behind the Australian-conference leading Brumbies, with matches against the Crusaders (away) and Chiefs (home) to come.
"This is the exciting thing about sport. You get to go down to Christchurch and play a very exciting team and what lies in front of us is up to how we front up on the day," Foote said.
"We're just really embracing the challenge."
With players still needing to be rested under Rugby Australia's workload management policy ahead of the World Cup, logic says Saturday's match may be the best time, leaving the Rebels with a full-strength outfit for the final round against the Chiefs in Melbourne.
But Foote doubted that would be a strategy employed by head coach Dave Wessels.
"I don't actually think we've got that luxury," he said.
"We started really well but we haven't gone so well later on in the comp, so for now, we just have to take every game as it comes and we're just thinking about the Crusaders at the moment and not the Chiefs.
"Obviously we're going to have to see who presents well after some knocks and bruises and there's some guys who need some Australian rugby rest but Dave will handle that and we'll put our best team forward."
A seven-day turnaround has allowed the Rebels time for close scrutiny of their loss to the Waratahs last Friday and defence coach Foote said there had been great reflection on errors that led to tries, especially from scrum moves.
But effort would be as important as any attribute against the defending premiers.
"The reality is that the Crusaders have lost," Foote said.
"We put them up as some big monster but they've lost a couple of times this year and they've also had a couple of draws.
"I think the Chiefs just went out there and ripped in (last week). At 20-0 down, they didn't go into the corner and surrender, they just kept fighting.
"So that's a tremendous spirit they showed and it's exciting for us to go there and just keep fighting."
The Rebels take on the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday, May 8, at 5:35pm AEST, live on Fox Sports, Kayo and via RUGBY.com.au.
