Nathan Peats will be fired up but he doesn’t have anything to prove to Parramatta, says Eels coach Brad Arthur.

Off-loaded mid-season to Gold Coast to help resolve the Parramatta’s salary cap woes, Peats takes on his former teammates for the first time in Saturday’s NRL clash in Darwin.

“Nathan’s a competitor. We know what we’re going to get from him, he’ll be fired up,” said Arthur on Friday.

“He’s very busy in defence, he’s real committed and he plays tough and I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to it.”

Howver, Arthur said his former charge already commanded plenty of respect at the Eels.

“He doesn’t have a point to prove, he’s got plenty of credibility and runs on the board the way he plays.”

While Peats caught up with some of his former teammates in Darwin on Wednesday, Eels players are expecting him to be far from friendly on Saturday.

“He’s a very competitive guy, Peatsy, so he’ll be out there to win and so will we,” said Eels halfback Luke Kelly.

“He’s very aggressive too, so I’m sure he’ll be trying to square up with a couple of the boys.”

However he felt initially, Peats has reason to be glad he made the club switch.

The Titans have since climbed into the top eight while fifth-placed Parramatta face plunging to the foot of the ladder in the next fortnight when the NRL brings down its final salary cap breach findings.

Titans five-eighth Tyrone Roberts said Peats had fitted in well with his new side and was experienced enough to handle facing off against his former teammates.

“He knows the plays now, he knows what’s expected of him and he knows his role,” said Roberts.

“On the field it’s a totally different story, off the field he’s got his good mates at Parra, I’m sure he’ll rip in for us and let them know he’s sorely missed.”