Adam Reynolds says his first clash with former club South Sydney is "just another game", while a former teammate admits he's keen to battle the "freak" halfback.
Reynolds' new side Brisbane will meet the Rabbitohs in Sydney on Thursday night, with Souths out for revenge after they were shocked 11-4 back in round one.
The 31-year-old missed that clash with COVID, but said there was no extra motivation battling a host of his old teammates.
"I'm a Broncos player, coming up against an old team doesn't really matter," he told reporters.
"I've got a lot of wonderful memories from the club, a lot of mates there still ... you've got to come up against your old club one time when you move on, for me it's no different.
"I want to go out there and win for this club, my attitude towards any other game is the same."
Reynolds added leaving was a "decision that had to be made", but said there were no hard feelings after he knocked back a one-year deal to take a three-year contract with the Broncos.
But South Sydney captain Cameron Murray, who played five seasons of first-grade with Reynolds, admitted there was a "weird" feeling ahead of the clash, particularly taking on someone whose journey mirrored his own.
"It's a weird one because I've never played against 'Reyno'," he told reporters.
"Someone like me who's always looked up to 'Reyno', almost followed in the exact same footsteps in terms of my journey here to the NRL and playing for the club I grew up supporting ... growing up just down the road like 'Reyno'.
"It's going to be a little bit different and a little bit weird."
Most important, Murray noted, was shutting down the champion half and getting the victory as the 4-4 Rabbitohs look to push into top-four contention.
"We're going to be showing him a lot of respect because we've seen what he can do first-hand playing next to him ... he's a freak," he said.
"We can't take him lightly, we have to make sure we're training really well this week.
"He's a special player and he's been performing really well for them, we need to be on our A-game."
