Blues coach David Nucifora is under no illusions about what lies ahead on Saturday when his side takes on the powerful Crusaders at Jade Stadium.
With only one win, a one-point success over bottom of the table Queensland Reds, the Blues face the defending competition champions who are unbeaten so far this year.
"We know that we are going to have to play far better than what we have at any time in this particular season, but I'm also confident that the boys are up for it," Nucifora said.
"There's no shortage of motivation for us. We're looking forward to getting down there.
"There's some great footballers in both teams and guys like matching themselves up against the best and I think that's certainly the case come Saturday."
While the Crusaders have yet to put their foot to the floor and play consistently throughout their games, Nucifora was impressed with the way the Crusaders demolished the Reds in the last 10 minutes of their match 10 days ago.
The Blues will have a greater base to select from with loose forward Angus Macdonald and utility back Brent Ward both coming back from injury.
The franchise has also bolstered its loose forward strength after the season-ending Achilles tendon rupture suffered by Justin Collins by introducing Onosa'i Tololima-Auva'a into the side.
"He's a player that we have been watching for quite a while, throughout his sevens football over the last few months and he's really impressed us," Nucifora said.
"He's a young player but a very exciting one and he's obviously benefited from his Sevens experiences but he'll also benefit when he gets some time under his belt here with us."
Having achieved the first win of the season, Nucifora said there was a spring in the step of players.
"There were parts of our game at the weekend that I was really pleased with, there were certainly parts that we could have done better.
"It was obviously a different style of game for us to play and we haven't had a lot of practise at playing that way over the years. I think it was a reasonably good start.
"It was a pretty hard game, quite physical and quite warm over there. It did take a little bit out of us but I think the win sort of alleviates all those issues," he said.
With returning loose forward Troy Flavell having been targeted by the Reds as a player capable of reacting to niggle, Nucifora said he felt Flavell had handled himself well and that he was also pleased with the way he fitted back into the side.
His speed of adjustment, after limited preparation, was a sign of what a good footballer Flavell is.
"We never had any concerns about his fitness levels. One thing they do in Japan is run a lot and train a lot," Nucifora said.