It was more like an A-League game than the NRL at times on Thursday night. A packed bay, all in black, cheering and chanting at the Paddington end of Allianz Stadium.

This wasn’t The Cove, however: it was The Mavericks, the 100-strong fan club for Panthers debutant Mavrik Geyer – including famous father Mark and uncle Greg Alexander.

While plenty of debutants get a gang of family and friends together for their NRL bow, this was on a different scale to anything seen before.

For the man himself, however, it was a case of blocking out all the hoopla and concentrating on the job in hand, helping the Panthers to a statement victory over the Sydney Roosters.

“It’s very special,” said Geyer in the sheds after the game.

“I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life. Having all the family here, it’s the best.

“I knew they were coming but I let them sort out the tickets so I could focus on the game. I think there’s about a 100 of them, so hopefully they’re back at mine and we’re kicking on!

“It was about keeping it simple and doing my job for the team. I knew I would have been off the bench so I wanted to carry on whoever I subbed on.

“On the outside noise, I just got off social media and focussed on the team. Going into camp really made me focus on my job and keep it simple. I just blocked it out.

“It’s a credit to my father and uncle that I’ve got as much hype as I did, but I’m just a player who made his debut and if they weren’t the people and players they were and had the legacy they did, I’d just be a regular player. It says more about them than me.”

The legacy of MG and Brandy – plus uncle Ben Alexander – ensured that Geyer’s debut came with more scrutiny, but also the chance to ask for elite advice – though Mavrik said it was a case of taking his father’s words with a pinch of salt, lest he end up in the judiciary.

“The game’s a different game from when he played,” joked Mav.

“I think if he played now he’d be in the Super League or something, kicked out. He was a bit of a rebel back then.

“But the game’s faster and you have to be better at different stuff. Back then they were probably tougher – he tells me to do what I say, not what I do.

“He set the tone. He made it a bit more pumped up. He made a joke (at the jersey presentation) about the way I look at him and I think if he’d have cried I’d have been goneskis, I would have cried a lot more.

“Everyone was pumped: 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 – and the fact that we won is the best part of it all.

Though he has a famous family, Geyer’s journey to the top has been far from nepotistic. He has toiled in NSW Cup, unable to crack the threepeat Panthers side, battling injuries and keeping his head down in hope of a chance.

He had the opportunity to move to Melbourne but rejected the Storm in the hope that he could make his debut at the club that he grew up surrounded by.

“There’s always speculation when you’re a footy player, but I chose Penrith because it means a lot to me,” said Geyer.

“I’ve lived two minutes away my whole life. I’m glad to debut for this club.

“I’ve two uncles, Greg and Ben, and my Dad as well, they won the first Grand Final here and the boys have won three in a row. It’s a good place to be at and I love it. It’s very special.

“I always believed that I’d play. Everyone’s got a different journey and you’ve just got to keep grinding, learning off the boys. Watching them win three comps in a row, you have to put your head down and train hard.

“To me, it’s not about making a name for myself. I’m so happy I have the last name Geyer and the legacy of my father and my uncles paved, and to do it at this club is very special.”