After watching his side fall 35-18 to the Bulls in Pretoria yesterday - the Highlanders' 10th loss in 11 games this year - he acknowledged he may need new faces to put some spark into his team.
The likes of Liam Coltman, Jason Emery and TJ Ioane must come into consideration after the way they came off the bench yesterday, providing some much-needed impetus against a very tough Bulls side at home.
''I was really proud of how those young guys came on and performed. Those guys do provide a lot of enthusiasm and that is what we needed today,'' Joseph said.
''Maybe we do need to have a look at them next week. I don't know. I haven't had a good look at the tape yet. But we have got a lot of older guys in our team who have played every week and that does take it out of you.''
The injury count continues to mount for the Highlanders. Prop Chris King was the major casualty for the side after yesterday's game.
King, whose ability to play on both sides of the scrum is a real asset in the modern game, had an eventful match. He was yellow-carded in the second half and later lowered by a nasty blow to the shoulder area.
Joseph said King appeared to have ruptured his biceps muscle in his right arm and, if that was the case, his season was possibly over.
Second five-eighth Shaun Treeby took a blow to the head and did not reappear in the second half. He is doubtful for the Force game.
Prop Jamie Mackintosh twisted his knee and also did not come out for the second half.
Joseph said a bad start again disadvantaged the the Highlanders, and that was meat and drink for a top Bulls side.
''We turned the ball over straight from the kick-off, which led to a try, and you just can't afford to do that at this level. Then we had a couple of sin-binnings, which again is really costly.''
The Highlanders are averaging nearly one yellow card a game this season and it is hampering their ability to sustain any period of attack.
They found it hard to get past a tough Bulls defence, which Joseph admitted had made some real progress since the Highlanders went to Pretoria two years ago and scored a victory.
That flat-standing defence led to the option of attacking kicks but all that did was give possession away.
''We did score a try last week from a kick and also one against the Sharks. But sometimes, that is what the guys are forced to do when faced with a defence the Bulls have. There is space in behind there and that is what the guys see.
''I thought, in the first half, we struggled a bit but in the second half we made some good breaks and showed some good touches.''
When asked about the TMO decision to allow Bulls winger Akona Ngungane a try, from a clear forward pass, Joseph said it did not help, especially after giving away a soft try at the start of the game.
The Highlanders head to Perth today and Joseph said the team would have to prepare well for the Force, which is one place above the cellar-dwelling Highlanders.
In other games over the weekend, the Rebels beat the Stormers 30-21 in Melbourne, while the Sharks stopped a five-game losing streak with a 23-13 win over the Force in Perth.
The Crusaders beat the Blues 23-3 in Christchurch, the Waratahs beat the Brumbies 28-22 in Sydney, and the Cheetahs beat the Reds 27-13 in Bloemfontein.
