Manly NRL star Matt Ballin admits reading their own press may have caused the Sea Eagles to become complacent, having slipped from grand final favouritism to the precipice of the top eight in a week.

Successive wins over Cronulla and Wests Tigers propelled Manly back into the dominant form they exhibited earlier this season and many judges began to reinstate them as specials to progress to the decider.

But just when Monday's match against Newcastle shaped as another step towards the Sea Eagles' surge for a top-four spot, the Knights embarrassed Des Hasler's side.

It could prove to be the reality check they needed or, with a tough run home, the jolt that sends a genuine contender out of the playoffs altogether.

Rarely has there been a team seemingly so capable of winning a premiership also be in such risk of not getting a shot at all.

Ballin concedes Manly did get too far ahead of themselves.

"Probably, you start to hear those things and maybe think you're going better than you are," Ballin lamented.

"You shouldn't take anything away from the Newcastle victory ... they reacted better than we did so that's what won them the game.

"There's so many teams vying for that top eight we just have to make sure on our own note that we play well and win as many games as we can coming into the finals."

The Sea Eagles have fallen away in second halves all year and haven't put together more than two wins consecutively since round six, when they completed a run of four victories.

Despite what their past few months of football would suggest, Ballin is confident inconsistency is not a problem for the maroon and whites.

"Not yet it isn't, we haven't had a really consistent year, we've been up and down, but hopefully we've learnt from that ... and leading into the finals we want to play consistent footy," he said.

"It's very important to stay in touch with that top four, that's our goal to finish in that.

"Newcastle beating us was not the best way for us to stay up there, so it puts a bit more pressure on us, but hopefully we react positively to that pressure.

"We had two really solid games before that and then one hiccup last weekend so we've just got to make sure that doesn't happen again and keep playing good footy coming into the finals."

Manly front rower George Rose said the loss wasn't so much a setback as it was major disappointment, calling on his team to use the let-down as motivation.

"For how good we played the weeks before, to toss that up the other day it was more of a disappointment than anything. It was a very cold, lonely trip home," Rose said.

"Now we've got a lot more pressure on us."

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