The shifting expectations for the NRL surprise packets is shown by Taupau's harsh assessment of the Sea Eagles, who only need to beat the Panthers to ensure a first finals appearance in three years.

Few gave them a chance of being in finals contention come the final round of the regular season, yet Barrett's side know a premature Mad Monday will mean its campaign won't get a pass mark despite their on-field turnaround from 2016.

"In a sense it can be looked [at] that way," Taupau said. "It's not really something we want to focus on. We've worked so hard to get ourselves in this position. It's not something we really want to invest too much negative energy in.

"It will be perceived [as a failure], but we're really working towards making the finals. ???It is a grand final game for us and I think we've taken that approach in the last few games as well."

Manly will honour club legends Brett Stewart and Matt Ballin during an emotion-charged evening at Lottoland, where the stakes don't come much bigger for the top-eight fringe dwellers. Steve Matai has withdrawn from his planned farewell.

What Taupau is more certain about is the Sea Eagles won't be on the wrong end of a 14-4 penalty count that soured the Panthers' win in the earlier clash between the two sides in July.

"When you're up you create some luck and it definitely went their way the last time we played them," Taupau said. "We've got the advantage now of being back at our home ground and hopefully the tables will be turned.

"It will be emotional, but lending all that energy towards the game is the most important thing for us. There's going to be so much happening around us. We can't let the external stuff distract us from our ultimate goal."

The Sea Eagles' patchy late season form was best demonstrated in a remarkable comeback win over the Warriors to ensure their finals fate remains in their own hands.

And five-eighth Blake Green, who has provided a perfect foil for skipper Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves this year on the peninsula, acknowledged the Sea Eagles were below par against the Tigers and Bulldogs in the past month.

"This competition's very tough and as we've seen the last couple of weeks position on the table is irrelevant," Green said.

"It's whoever comes with the most intent, energy and enthusiasm is good enough to win the game. And we didn't have that for a couple of weeks which is why we didn't get any results.

"One of our biggest strengths this year is when we turn up with bags of energy, enthusiasm and a bit of grit about us we're a difficult team to beat. And we lost that for a few weeks. I thought we had it back on the weekend and it showed with five or seven minutes to go [against the Warriors]."