Success by any means was imperative for the Highlanders when they hosted the Force on Saturday night at Forsyth Barr Stadium and they got there in the end with a 7-6 triumph to arrest a five-game losing slide.
The 10,509-strong crowd was "treated" to a shockingly error-prone show from two teams seemingly determined to (badly) out-perform the other.
But a win, as they say, is a win.
"It was two teams that just couldn’t quite finish, I think. The Force and us created a lot of opportunities, especially us in the first half.
"It could have been 40 to 35 at the end of the game if both teams had finished their opportunities.
"A win is a win, and it’s important for us."
Indeed. The Highlanders were coming off the back of a dreadful 31-0 loss to the Reds, and they again failed to score a point in the first half against the Force.
While the neutral observer saw the Highlanders make a worrying amount of mistakes and poor decisions, Dermody said it was a bit more nuanced than that, and there were actually promising signs ahead of his side’s trip to Nuku’alofa to play Moana Pasifika this Saturday.
"We created a lot more than what we did against the Reds. We simplified our game, and it showed.
"There are some areas we need to tidy up before we go to Tonga but I don’t see them as big fixes."
Regarding the errors, Dermody also gave his young side some rope.
"Everyone just cares so much and they just want to finish - they want to help the team.
"It’s the old adage of playing as a team. So, you know, setting one more ruck and letting someone else do it. I feel like we just wanted to be the guy a wee bit.
"It’s cool that we can review a win, and show that we are getting better."
The Highlanders would have been dead last had they lost but they have jumped all the way to eighth.
Now they face an interesting week with the history-making game in Tonga against a Moana Pasifika side buoyant after a stirring comeback in a 24-17 loss to the Fijian Drua.
"We know it’s an important game and it’s going to be a huge occasion", Dermody said.
"I know there’s a lot of excitement around the game. We’ve obviously got some Tongan boys in our team and they hear from back home that there’s a lot of excitement around it.
"And there should be. It’s a special game, Moana Pasifika taking the first Super Rugby game to Tonga, and it’s something to look forward to."
The Highlanders will be assessing the health of Welsh first five Rhys Patchell, who was in tidy form before leaving the field on Saturday night with a possible pectoral muscle strain.
Senior forwards Hugh Renton and Jermaine Ainsley were also scratched from the bench, their scheduled comebacks from injury delayed at least another week.
There was interest elsewhere in Super Rugby as the Hurricanes slipped to their first loss, falling 27-19 to the Brumbies in Canberra.
• The Blues pulled off a last-gasp win over the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday night to climb within a point of the competition lead, RNZ reported.
They stole the 41-34 win with a sweeping try to reserve halfback Sam Nock after the final hooter, having trailed by 11 points entering the closing stages.
