Tyrone Peachey will take on more than just Cronulla in Friday night's NRL semi-final. He'll be going head-to-head with most his family and friends.
A former product of Cronulla's junior system, Peachey made his NRL debut at the Sharks in 2013 and his name is forever associated with the club through his uncle David.
Most of Peachey's extended family still follow Cronulla, to the point where the majority of his 10 allocated tickets at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night have been given to Sharks fans.
"I think maybe the thing that drives me as well is I've got a lot of mates and family who still go for Cronulla," Peachey told AAP.
"Having them there supporting Cronulla fires me up a little. I don't want to lose so I can rub it in their face otherwise they'll give it to me.
"Dave still goes for them and his little son. All my mates grew up in Cronulla and are all Sharks fans, so it will be tough going back to Cronulla if we lose.
"But if we win I'll be going (and visiting) there for no reason."
Peachey's future at the Gold Coast from next season is unknown, after he indicated on Wednesday he'd wait until after this year's finals before deciding if he wanted to honour his three-year deal at the club or push for a release.
But there are no hard feelings about his past at Cronulla, where he played seven games in 2013 before moving to the Panthers the following year.
However he said he didn't see a future at the club when offered a deal at the time, as he was stuck behind the likes of Anthony Tupou, Jason Bukuya, Luke Lewis, Chris Heighington, Paul Gallen and Wade Graham in the back row.
"I went and had a dinner with Gus Gould and he seemed keen to get me to Penrith," Peachey said.
"I think just having dinner with Gus sold me, so I told my manager the next week I wanted to go to Penrith," Peachey said.
"They didn't really fight for me or anything. There wasn't any need for them to have me at Cronulla.
"I think having Penrith really want me made the decision a lot easier. It's good to be wanted. I've come here and loved every year here."
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