While new Sydney Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary was pleased to get a win over his old club, he said the game was never about him versus the Rabbitohs despite his acrimonious departure from Redfern last year.
Keary also spoke of his budding combination with halves partner Mitchell Pearce – which has seen the two link up to devastating effect on both sides of the field – while labelling the rigid idea of one half on each side of the field as a "blight" on the game.
Keary said his departure from South Sydney last year – which included a well-publicised falling out with club co-owner Russell Crowe – did not leave him with any resentment and he insisted there was no on-field chat between himself and his old mates.
"It was good to get the win obviously. Coming up against your old club you want to get one up on the boys and it was good," he said.
Asked if he let his old teammates know what the score was towards the end of the 20-6 win he added: "It gets in your mind a bit but I'm good mates with a lot of them obviously, had some good times over there and it didn't end the way we wanted but you move on. But I didn't let any of them know about it, no.
"It got a bit rough out there but those boys were just having a dig. It was a pretty physical game, it was good to get the win. There was actually no chat. They must've been told not to talk to me!" he laughed.
The game was about the team rather than any personal battles and a win over his former club is inconsequential in the long run, Keary added.
"It's not about that. Obviously stuff happened there but I don't have any resentment or bitterness towards the club or anyone in it. Winning tonight doesn't really mean anything [in the long run], I'm here to do a job for this team and beating your old team is neither here nor there," he said.
"I don't really have any inner satisfaction or anything more than I would for a normal win. It didn't really motivate me, I never really thought about it as 'I want to get one over them' or anything like that."
Keary was however full of praise for his new home at Bondi.
"I'm just enjoying the environment. There's a lot of good people at this club. It's a real tight-knit group, even the administration staff, all the way down to the players and the 20s boys, everyone's really tight and it's a good environment to be around and it's coming out on the field," he said.
Keary is enjoying the freedom coach Trent Robinson affords the playmakers and credited senior half Pearce and veteran fullback Michael Gordon for making his own job easier.
"Mitchy runs the team. He's directing traffic, me and Micky Gordon are trying to complement him and play off the back of what he's doing," Keary said.
"He's a fantastic player and he does some stuff that people probably wouldn't notice unless you're inside the team or playing against us. He's making my job a bit easier and probably Mick Gordon too is helping out there as well."
Of the freedom the playmakers enjoy to link up where they see an opportunity, Keary said: "I think it's a bit of a blight that halves don't get to play with each other in different structures like that.
"I think it's the way footy's meant to be played. Someone's meant to be there running the team and he's got to have his men around him that help him out a bit. We practiced it all pre-season and we have to try and get it on in the games. I've thought we've got it on in patches through the games but there' still plenty there we know we can improve on."
