Damian McKenzie's unerring boot has steered the tabletopping Chiefs past the Reds and into the Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals.
The Queenslanders outscored their hosts three tries to two and lead with 10 minutes remaining, before the home side edged ahead with a McKenzie penalty and Pita Gus Sowakula's converted try for a 29-20 win.
After inflicting the only defeat on the Chiefs during the regular season, the Reds tried to emulate their kicking tactics from that encounter and converted three 50-22 plays that produced two tries to winger Suliasi Vunivalu.
The first came in the ninth minute, when winger Josh Flook found touch inside the Chiefs 22 and the from the lineout, second-five James O'Connor found Vunivalu with a long pass to score.
The Hamiltonians stayed in the contest through McKenzie's accuracy off the tee, as he kicked three penalties in the first half.
Trailling 10-9 with halftime approaching, the Chiefs finally found the tryline, when fullback Shaun Stevenson surged into the 22 and looped a long pass to winger Emani Narawa to score in the corner. McKenzie's sideline conversion gave them a 16-10 lead at the break.
Narawa had been denied the first try of the game, when he scored in the other corner, but was penalised for shoving Flook in the back, as he chased his kick ahead.
While McKenzie has kicking goals for fun, counterpart Tom Lynagh missed two penalties and a conversion in the first 40 minutes.
After McKenzie extended the lead after the restart, Lynagh finally found his target and Vunivalu's second try - converted from the sideline - thrust the visitors into the lead midway through the second half.
Another McKenzie penalty edged the Chiefs ahead with 10 minutes remaining and the result was finally put beyond doubt, when lock Brodie Retallick sent prop George Dyer rumbling towards the posts and Sowakula was there to snap up the ball to score.
"We were made to work extremely, but to be fair, that was what we expected," reflected Chiefs captain Sam Cane. "In the playoffs, there's eight teams and we start from scratch.
"What happens in the season doesn't count for much, except the top four team get home advantage, which was huge for us tonight.
"It was an arm-wrestle, we had to grind it out, but I'm proud of how we stayed composed and managed to do it.
If other results go as expected, the Chiefs would host either the Brumbies or Hurricanes in next week's semi-finals.
Chiefs 29 (Narawa & Sowakula try; McKenzie 5 penalties & 2 conversions) Reds 20 (Vunivalu 2 & Wilson tries; Lynagh penalty & conversion)
