‘Wasn’t an easy conversation’: Panthers cut Mavrik Geyer – son of club legend Mark – as rival club swoops.
Mavrik Geyer will become the latest Penrith player to make the cross-town move to the Wests Tigers after being informed by the club there is no position for him next season.
The son of Panthers legend Mark Geyer informed teammates of his departure on Wednesday afternoon, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season.
During his time at the club, Geyer made 13 first grade appearances but has been restricted to just two NRL games so far this season.
When speaking to teammates on Wednesday, The Sydney Morning Herald reports Geyer also revealed his decision to accept a one-year deal with the Tigers.
His father confirmed the move on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports on Wednesday night.
“Mav was told about a month ago that there was nothing for him at Penrith,” he said.
“He understands, he is a realist.
“He has been out for about six to eight weeks this year with a medial injury. He is kind of out of sight, out of mind somewhat … but you’ve got to remember that this is a club who has won four comps in a row. It is very hard to break into that top 13, let alone the top 17.
“Mav explored his options and the Tigers come to the party.”
Panthers general manager Shane Elford admitted that while it is unfortunate to lose a local product to a rival team, Geyer is stuck behind a line of premiership players.
“Mav’s proven that he can play first grade and is a first-grade player,” Elford said.
“It’s just unfortunate that we’ve had a really successful run and there’s just players that have won multiple grand finals that are ahead of him at this point in time.
“As disappointed as we are that we’re losing a local junior and a player with the Geyer surname from our club, I’m actually excited for him to be able to play more first grade.
“It wasn’t an easy conversation. We would want to keep everybody if it was possible, but you know the track record with the players that we’ve unfortunately had to lose.
“Nobody wants to play reserve grade, with all due respect. They want to progress their own careers and the ability for Mav to do that at this club isn’t there at the moment.”
Geyer’s move is a promising sign for the Wests Tigers, who have been on the hunt to strengthen their depth in the back-row.
However, it is also an opportunity for the 24-year-old to possibly continue following in the footsteps of his premiership-winning dad.
The 57-year-old won a premiership with the Panthers in 1991 before departing to join the Balmain Tigers for one season. He then went on to join the Western Reds in Perth.
With the Perth Bears joining the competition in 2027, Geyer could follow the same path.
Geyer will join Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva and Taylan May as former Panthers players to have found a new home at Concord.
