And while coaching the Macquarie Raiders' under 18s side may pale in comparison to some of the bigger tasks he's taken on during his high-profile career, the former NSW Origin representative is keen to make it a success.

The former Cronulla Sharks and South Sydney Rabbitohs player has taken on a head coach role for the first time this season and it's back with his hometown club.

The strong connection to the Raiders and Group 11 remains incredibly strong, despite Peachey having left the club to chase his dream with the Sharks in the early 1990s.

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He's has been back in the region for some time, having played a part in getting the Westside Rabbitohs back onto the field in Group 11 in 2014, but this marks his first official role back at Macquarie.

"It was heartbreaking to walk away from them to help Westside get back into the competition," he said.

"I had a season or two there but the Raiders have always been close to my heart.

"They're a family side and you could name a lot of families associated with the Raiders and I think it's nice for me to come back home and be part of a such a good club."

While he's proud to be back, he's honest when he talks about the start of the season with the Macquarie under 18s.

"It's more of a challenge," he laughed.

"I hope the enjoyment comes down the track."

It's not that Peachey dislikes the job, but there's always hurdles to overcome when coaching an under 18s side in the bush no matter the club.

"It's a challenge in terms of letting the boys know who I am, what I've done and how I'd like to coach them," he said.

"I've never been a coach before and it's all new to me so you think about how you're going to do it. It's going to be a week-to-week thing.

"For some boys it's a life-changing time. You're coming out of school environment into a work environment and fitting football into a new world of waking up earlier and going to work.

"You see some boys struggling at times but it's all part of it and you do what you to manage that.

"That's the challenge but I'm looking forward to the fun part."

Peachey, who's worked to help Indigenous children and been a part of programs like Let's Tackle Domestic Violence since his retirement, has seen his side play just the twice this season.

After a 44-4 win over Narromine to start the season the Raiders had the bye in round two before a 22-10 win over Nyngan was followed by last weekend's Group 11 general bye.

This weekend Peachey's side faces its biggest test of the season, taking on the Forbes Magpies at Apex Oval.

The Raiders head into the match having had five players - Dalin Smith, Blake Merritt, Tyrone Tattersal, Macauley Ryan, and Isaac Frost - play for the Group 11 representative side last week while Aston Warwick and Brandon Hamilton lined up for the Penrith Panthers' SG Ball side earlier this year and Nathan Walker played for the Western Rams in this season's Laurie Daley Cup.

In Sunday's first grade game, the Raiders will be out to build on their opening two wins of the season of the season while Forbes heads in having yet to score a victory in 2021.

The Alex Ronayne captain-coached Raiders will be without injured duo Matt Toole and Nick Harvey.

The halfback and prop are also expected to miss the following week's match with Parkes but should be back on deck for the round six meeting with Wellington.

Richie Peckham is set to move into the number seven jersey for Toole while Kane McDermott will start at hooker after coming off the bench last round.

Youngster Maclay Ryan comes into the side to replace Harvey.

The action at Apex Oval on Sunday starts with league tag at 11am.

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