Canberra Raiders prop Frank-Paul Nu'uausala admits he never wanted to leave the Sydney Roosters, but he wants to prove on Sunday that they made a mistake letting him go.
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The New Zealand international has compared his departure from the Roosters in the off-season as "having to leave my family".
While all the focus has been on former Raiders bad boy Blake Ferguson lining up against Canberra for the first time since he was sacked in 2013, Nu'uausala has his own motivation.
"I'd be lying if I said I don't [want to prove a point], you always want to with your old team," Nu'uausala said.
"I've been loving it [Canberra], it's grown on me to be honest. I had mixed feelings when I first came here but from day one the clubs and the boys have opened their arms and embraced me.
"I was there for nine years at the Roosters and just seeing the video on Monday, that used to be me. I just [have to] put that aside for 80 minutes, but that club holds a special place in my heart."
Nu'uausala is one of four players in Canberra's 17-man squad to have represented their state or country. The Roosters have 11, including their entire back-line.
Nu'uausala admitted it had taken time to adjust with the rebuilding Raiders, including taking a role in the club's leadership group.
"It's challenging and it's tough. Those boys at the Roosters have an awesome squad, a lot of superstars compared to us," he said.
"We've got a hard-working team and we're all young, that's probably the difference. Everyone's new and everyone's used to a losing culture, we're trying to build and turn that around.
"There's been banter from the [Roosters] boys, especially Mitchell Pearce who said he's going to bash me.
"Knowing Mitch he's a bit of a smart arse, but that comes with being a halfback I guess."
The Raiders (1-2) have lost their past two games, but Nu'uausala insists they could easily be unbeaten if not for crucial errors in defeats to the Warriors and Dragons.
Nu'uausala said he was desperate to atone for an errant offload late in last weekend's loss to the St George Illawarra Dragons, which contributed to a momentum swing against the Raiders.
"I was a bit disappointed about that, I thought it was crucial from me, especially a senior player," he said.
"We're just disappointed we let two points slip through our hands. Maybe it will hurt us later in the year but it was a learning experience for us, the boys are young and they haven't been in that position much before.
"That's the feeling, we should have won the last two games and we should be three up."
Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker said the presence of former Roosters Nu'uausala and Sio Soliola had helped instil the sacrifices needed to be a benchmark club.
"They're the first to speak up in the sheds after a couple of losses, and tell us to keep our heads up," Croker said.
"They've been massive for our confidence, especially a lot of the younger boys."
