A string of six unanswered tries set up the victory in a performance that was the closest display to the performances that Queensland fans had hoped for heading into the season before the side lurched from crisis to misfortune.

Queensland looked reinvigorated after another week of off-field change, with the appointment of former Wallabies coach John Connolly as a coaching consultant.

Connolly's influence saw some team changes this week and those reshuffles paid off in an improved performance from the Queensland side, in front of 17,993 at Suncorp Stadium.

Queensland's flyhalf debutant Jake McIntyre played a part in the first Reds try, finished by Rob Simmons and started by an elusive James O'Connor step on the 22-metre line.

The 21-year-old scored one just after half time, capping off a very solid first Super Rugby game, off a Karmichael Hunt inside pass.

There were ominous signs early after Rebels winger Sefanaia Naivalu sliced open the Reds' defence in the first five minutes with an 80-metre runaway try.

Scott Higginbotham posed a threat only four minutes later with the football stuck in the Reds territory but the home defence cut off that opportunity.

The attitudinal change that Reds captain James Slipper spoke of throughout the week began to shine through as Queensland dug their heels in to stay in contention.

Naivalu had a double 31 minutes in, again capitalising on a Reds error to score, after a Rebels bomb went to the ground to be collected by flyhalf Jack Debreczeni and swiftly passed out to the wing.

The most promising sign for the Reds was their strong finish, an emphatic response to a withering second-half last weekend against the Crusaders.

Queensland winger Lachie Turner got in on the act 50 minutes in, before adding to his tally in the 63rd minute, while flanker Liam Gill scored out of a pack five minutes later as the Reds had their first opportunity to truly savour a victory in 2015.

Gill's try capped off yet another impressive performance for the in-demand flanker, who has been one of the Reds' best in a difficult year.

The Rebels got two back late, through Dom Shipperley and Luke Jones, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.

Reds coach Richard Graham said the win was a long time coming for the side.

"We've always said if we kept working hard and believe in the things you're doing you get a result," he siad.

"The game plan probably exactly the same as the last time we played the rebels, where we were really direct and we felt if we could go through them that it would create opportunity for our backs.

Down 17-11 at the break, Graham said the side's barnstorming finish was crucial after conceding two soft tries in the opening stanza.

"It was outstanding," he said.

"We responded really wel, we just stuck to what we wanted to do."