Manly winger Jorge Taufua said the Sea Eagles learnt a timely lesson from their 23-4 defeat by Souths.
"It was obviously not the result anyone wants – they are always tough," Taufua sa
id.
"But then again it's always good to have those games going into the finals.
"It keeps us grounded and shows us that we need improvement."
Friday's game was also Taufua's comeback match after several weeks out with a niggling ankle injury.
And he looked like he had just gone 10 rounds with Aussie boxing champion Danny Green.
"As you can see I've got a couple of bumps on the face but you know it's just good to get through and good to be back," Taufua said.
"I'm looking forward to next week."
He said Souths showed they are definitely one of the teams to beat.
It was also the first time that Taufua had played at the famous Sydney Cricket Ground.
"It's good for us wingers because the opposing crowd is not as close as usual," Taufua said.
Forward James Hasson said the team will use that loss as a motivation should they face Souths again.
Many judges regard Friday's game as a grand final preview.
"The boys will remember that one and make sure next time we play them we put in a much better performance," Hasson said.
Hasson said when they met in round two and Manly won, the Sea Eagles had matched the enthusiasm of the Souths side.
But on Friday he said they were a bit flat and slightly off their game.
Meanwhile, Sea Eagles blockbusting centre Steve Matai will be sent for further scans on his shoulder on Tuesday.
He was the victim of an alleged "crusher" tackle against the Rabbitohs on Friday night.
The results will be assessed before a decision is made on whether Matai will be fit to play this weekend.
The Sea Eagles play the Titans this Sunday on the Gold Coast.
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Jon Geddes
Manly Daily
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/loss-could-be-a-timely-jolt-ahead-of-finals/story-fngr8iii-1227020815036