Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen has questioned whether his side has lost motivation in their quest for back-to-back NRL premierships.
The Sharks' title ambitions were dented when Brisbane spoiled Gallen's 300th game milestone with a heavy defeat at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
It was Shane Flanagan's side's second loss in a row and left them in danger of missing the all-important top four.
"Me and Wade Graham caught up last night and had a chat about (motivation)," Gallen told the Sunday Footy Show.
"Someone said to him 'it looks like you guys aren't loving each other at the moment'.
"For me that's an issue. If someone's saying that to Wade, and it looks like that on the field, that could be a big issue.
"That's something I'm going to have to address this week.
"As far as motivation goes, I'm as motivated as ever to win this comp."
No side since Brisbane in 1997-98 has won back-to-back grand finals and no side has done it in a united competition since the 1992-93 Broncos.
The Sharks have won ugly all year and have been plagued by a number of concerning stats including giving away the second-most penalties (357) and making the most errors (251).
Gallen said they were a better side than Friday's 32-10 scoreline indicated but would address their motivation heading into Saturday's clash with North Queensland.
"I've got to say I spoke to the boys last week about motivation and it's something I'm going to have to address even more," Gallen said.
"From a senior playing group, there's no lacking motivation there.
"It's up to us to drive these other blokes and hopefully they can all jump on board."
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