Otago got back into its work yesterday with a light training run at Bathgate Park as it nursed bumps and bruises from the physical encounter in Invercargill on Saturday.
Mooney said the side had got over the close loss and the fact the Ranfurly Shield was not in Dunedin this week.
"One thing about sport is that it teaches you that if you mope around all week over what happened last week then you are missing a big opportunity this Saturday night.
We've done the debrief and now it is about preparing for Wellington."
Mooney said spirits in the camp were good and they could take a lot out of Saturday's near miss.
"The important thing is we had some issues we had to address from our first game and we worked hard at training and we did them pretty well on Saturday.
"Now, there is a different focus for this week and it is important we get that right as well.
"The one thing is you've got to learn from previous games but you can't dwell on them. You've got to prepare for the next game."
With Otago yet to gain a win in its first two games, it sits second last in the table, Saturday's game against the Wellington Lions looms as a must win.
But Mooney said in a tight competition all games were important.
He was pleased with the intensity in Saturday's performance, and players showed a lot of heart.
But he felt discipline could have been better.
"The bottom line is you have to adjust to the referee on the day and we probably did not do that on Saturday . . . he [the referee] was pretty clear with his communication.
"We just need to be a bit more adaptable."
Otago trained at Bathgate Park yesterday, away from its normal base at Logan Park.
The side was set to train at King's High School but ground conditions saw it move off the school grounds.
Three King's players - Caleb Gray, Tim Tolovae and Asia Taana - trained with the squad and then other members of the school's First XV had a coaching session with the Otago squad.
Mooney said the side intended to train at schools throughout the province once a week through the season as it got out into the community, and helped out junior players.
Loose forward Eben Joubert is the only major injury concern for Otago and he will get a scan on his dislocated shoulder early next week to discover the damage.
The best-case scenario was he could be back in between four to six weeks, but all depended on how badly his shoulder muscles were damaged.
Prop Ben Nolan has had another opinion on his injured knee and it may not be as bad as first thought.
He was set to have a knee reconstruction, which would rule him out for the season, but would now work on strengthening his knee for the next six weeks, and if there is improvement he may be able to play later in the season.
