Chris Henry said Ulster's 21-20 Pro12 defeat to Scarlets could be the "kick up the butt" they need as Les Kiss's men licked their wounds after a thrilling Kingspan Stadium collision.
The visitors leapfrogged Ulster into third in the table as they plundered a huge win in an increasingly congested division.
Ireland flanker Henry, who received a yellow card in an edgy second half, admitted they now must improve and learn from the mistakes that cost them victory.
"You always expect a win, especially at home," Henry told RTÉ Sport. "It's a very disappointed changing room, it's definitely three points that got away from us that we desperately needed.
"We were passive at the start, a few slipped off tackles, which gave them momentum. We had opportunities as well so it was a weird first half, but I think we did reasonably well to rack up some points. Unfortunately there were a few aspects of our game that meant we couldn’t push on.
“There was a wind out there as well which definitely played its part. We couldn’t really get our maul going, there were missed tackles, and whenever we had chances in their 22 I don't think we executed well. We had the ball close to their line but we just couldn’t do enough to get over.
“Maybe it’s the kick up the butt we need."
Henry had been struggling with a shoulder injury but came through a physical encounter unscathed. With a trip to Cardiff next up, he's targeting an immediate response, and another opportunity to nail down the jersey.
"You're playing against a quality side who take their chances. We have to look very hard at our game and hopefully find some answers.
"Every team is targeting this block of games while the international period is on.
"The one positive is I'm glad I got through the game, the shoulder feels good after it. I think I'm finally over that injury. I need to get games behind me and keep this Ulster shirt."
