He’s mobbed by fans every time he returns to his home town of Wellington, but Tyrone Peachey admits it might take some time to win over everyone at his new base on the Gold Coast.
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There was months of speculation regarding a potential back-flip on a deal Peachey signed with the Titans while still playing with the Penrith Panthers earlier this year.
But Peachey, who made his Oiring debut in 2018, said he never wanted to back out of his three-year Gold Coast NRL deal, blaming the media for the on-going rumours.
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"I never said once that I didn't want to come here," Peachey said.
"The media just blew it out of proportion.
"But hopefully when the season starts I can win them (Titans fans) over."
Speculation that Peachey would remain at the Panthers began swirling around the Test and NSW utility just weeks after he signed the Titans deal in March.
His manager Sam Ayoub reportedly claimed his star charge was "jittery" about the move north while Peachey appeared to give mixed messages to reporters as recently as Penrith's NRL finals campaign.
While 27-year-old Peachey admitted the drive to the Gold Coast this week wasn't much fun, he insisted he was happy to be at the Titans.
"For me it (backflip speculation) didn't really bother me because I was always going to come up here," said Peachey, who played 108 games for Penrith from 2014.
"I drove up the other day, it took me 10 hours. That wasn't too enjoyable but I have settled in.
"I grew up at Cronulla so I am used to the beach. I love it up here. I can't wait to get into training."
While not expected for pre-season until next month, Peachey lobbed at the Titans golf day on Friday to meet his new teammates two days after arriving from Sydney.
While Peachey would not reveal what position he coveted in the Titans team, he did not hold back on what he expected from his new side after their 14th place finish in 2018.
"To make the top eight. Everyone wants to play finals football," he said.
"I have done it a few years at Penrith so hopefully I bring the experience that will help them make the finals and we can do something special."