‘Do as I say’: Inside Panthers debutant’s wild week as famous dad ‘set the tone’
Mavrik Geyer has spent his life watching the 1991 grand final three times a day, but he’s ready to forge his own memories after a strong debut for Penrith that showed he’s more than ready to handle the rigours of the NRL.
After three seasons in reserve grade, the local junior and son of club legend Mark Geyer finally got his crack in first grade in Penrith’s controversial 22-16 win over the Roosters.
“I knew they were coming,” Geyer said after an impressive 30-minute stint in the second half.
“I let my family sort out tickets and all that so I could focus on the game. I think there were about 100 of them, so hopefully they’re back at mine kicking on.”
This is a journey that’s been years in the making, with Geyer learning from a young age through his father and famous uncle Greg Alexander – a couple of grand final heroes – just what it means to represent the Penrith community.
“They won the first grand final here, and these boys have now won three in a row, so it’s a good place to be at. I love it. It’s special,” he said.
“It (the grand final) is on at my house three times a day. My dad makes me watch it all the time. I’ve watched it a few times and it’s special. That short dropout where dad hits Roycey (Royce Simmons) and he scores for his second is very special.
“It’s not about making a name for myself. I’m so glad that I have the last name Geyer and that I get to live on the legacy that my father and my uncle paved. To do it at this club is very special.”
His father was one of the toughest men to play the sport, but Mark broke down a couple of times this week and then presented his son with his jersey at an emotional event on Wednesday.
“He sort of set the tone and made it more pumped up. He said a joke about the way I look at him, and I think if he cried then I would have been goneskies and would have cried a bit more,” Mav said.
“It’s been a long road and a big grind, but I’m just so glad it’s happened and that my family were here. The fact that we won is the best part about it.
“I chose Penrith because it means a lot to me. I’ve lived two minutes away my whole life so I’m very glad to debut for this club.”
As for playing like his dad, Geyer concedes he has to do things a little bit differently if he wants to stay on the field, even if the comparisons are being made all over social media.
“The game is very different to when he played. I think if he played now, he’d be in the Super League, probably kicked out. He was a bit of a rebel back then, but the game’s changed,” he said.
“It’s a bit faster and you’ve got to be better at different stuff. Back then they were probably tougher, but he definitely tells me to ‘do as I say, not as I do’.
“The outside noise, I just got off social media and focused on the team. I just blocked it out. It’s a credit to my father and my uncle that I got as much hype as I did because I’m just a player who made my debut.
“If they’re not the people that they were and they didn’t have the legacy that they did then I’d just be a regular player. It says a lot more about them than me.”
Leave a Reply