Charlie Staines among group of former Penrith Panthers who will still travel to Bathurst in April

Penrith will take on the Wests Tigers in one of the most fascinating fixtures of the ninth round, as it will bring together several players who have made the jump between the two clubs during the off-season.

Forbes talent Charlie Staines along with Api Koroisau have made the move from Panthers to the Tigers while Luke Garner and Tyrone Peachey have gone in the opposite direction as they prepare to don the Penrith jersey in 2023.

It means this edition of the Bathurst NRL game will be one with plenty of emotion and feeling behind it.

Former teammates get a look at each other from opposite ends of the field for the first time, each hoping to show their new team that their signing was one that will further the club's goals.

For the Panthers that goal is to become the first team since Parramatta in 1983 to win three straight Australian or National Rugby League premierships while for the Tigers it's to make the club a finals series force again after a dreary 2022 wooden spoon season.

Staines and Peachey are certain to be big names in the narrative leading up to the Bathurst game, given their connections to the Western region.

Former Forbes Magpies junior Staines scored a try for the Panthers in their 28-12 grand final victory over Parramatta but then three weeks later found himself at a new home.

Staines joined the Tigers on a single season contract, which means he'll have extra motivation to prove himself to not only his new club but also rivals in order to secure his long term future in the league.

It was becoming tough for Staines to find a spot among the Penrith side due Dylan Edwards' rise to become one of the competition's best fullbacks, along with great campaigns for fellow backs Taylan May and Sunia Turuv.

Peachey, who has family ties in Wellington, was sent to Panthers as part of the deal and re-joined the Penrith squad after previously playing there from 2014 to 2018.

He too comes to a new home on a one-year contract.

At the time of Staines' trade Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe called the 'Forbes Ferrari' a "proven speedster, a premiership-winner, and a player with immense talent."

There's no shortage of motivation on Peachey's end.

"I want to get back to where I was when I left here, I can't let Ivan [Cleary, coach] down and all the people who have helped me get back to the club," Peachey said just last week.

"I want to repay them and play the best footy I can, the club gave me my first chance to be a consistent NRL player."

Even though their 2022 campaigns played out in completely opposite ways the Panthers-Tigers game during the regular season was an exciting contest.

That match at Western Sydney Stadium saw the Tigers get out to a 16-12 lead at the 70^th minute, only for a James Fisher-Harris try and Sean O'Sullivan conversion three minutes later to take the Panthers to an 18-16 victory.

Bathurst league fans will no doubt hope they get an equally exciting conclusion to their game in two and a half month's time.

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