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Parramatta's Daniel Mortimer - Source: Getty
Steve Mortimer has more than come to terms with his nephew Daniel playing for Parramatta.
But barracking for the Eels against his beloved Bulldogs in Friday night's NRL preliminary final at ANZ Stadium is another matter.
Blood only runs so thick for the man nicknamed Turvey when it comes to the boys from Belmore.
The former halfback won four premierships with the Bulldogs, including two as captain between 1980 and 1988 and was even chief executive at the club during its troubled times following the salary cap crisis of 2002.
He bleeds blue and white and said it was hard to change his colours now.
Not that he doesn't want the son of his brother Peter to perform well in the clash for a spot in the grand final if he recovers in time from a hip injury.
"To be quite truthful, I hope Daniel has an absolute blinder should he play," said Steve Mortimer.
"But the old saying that a club is bigger than the individual and this club gave me an opportunity to play 13 years for the Bulldogs.
"So I will be cheering for the Bulldogs for a victory ... by one point."
The Bulldogs were known as the family club during the late 1970s and 1980s because of the talented batch of Mortimer and Hughes brothers.
And in this case the ties to the club are proving stronger than those of the family.
