'Can't leave my Mum': Family first as Campbell commits to the Coast

With a contract extension secured, Titans young gun Jayden Campbell can now focus on his football and enjoy spending time with friends and family on the Gold Coast.

Fresh from playing a key role as fullback in his side's Magic Round win against the Eels, Campbell said the chance to stay close to family and repay the faith the club has showed in him is at the heart of his decision to re-sign.

“The Gold Coast is a beautiful part of the world, I can’t leave my Mum, she’ll miss me too much," Campbell said.

“I have always wanted to be a Titan, I have always wanted to be a one-club person as well.

“The Titans have done a lot for me and my family and I’d like to do the same for them hopefully by bringing some success here and premierships.

“The club means a lot, they gave an opportunity for my Dad to look after us as a family and hopefully I can do the same for mine."

A second-generation player for the club following on from his father and Titans foundation player Preston, Campbell has been in fine form this year – mostly providing a utility back role where his versatility is on show every week. 

Having trained in a number of positions with diversified training sessions throughout the pre-season, the 23-year-old said his knowledge of multiple roles in the team, and the skills required to thrive in them, made him a better player overall.

“This year's been a little bit different; normally when you have a position set in stone, you’re in the one position training in that position, getting ready," Campbell told pan66.com.

“But with this year it's been a little bit different. I'm slotting in everywhere, so some sets I’ll do fullback, other sets, I’ll do five-eighth and even centre, hooker, everywhere really, so it's been different, but it's also a good learning curve as well. 

“When you're playing a different position, it shows what you need from it. So it's been very helpful actually knowing what a certain position needs from another position and the ways you can help out each other. It's been a real eye opener. 

“It helps the team too; it shows what kind of communication you need for them to get a response and it’s been really good.”

The Helensvale Hornets junior’s top form this year is also due to some extra work put into his pre-season where he worked hard to improve his strength.

“Obviously I'm not the biggest bloke, so for me in pre-season was not so much my weight, but just getting my strength and muscle mass up,” Campbell said.

“I have been really lucky the staff have come along... and I've got my nutrition right, so I've got some energy and my muscle mass has gone up. I feel a lot stronger and a lot fitter, so I'm really glad that we got the performance staff here to help me. 

“It feels really good [in defence], so, going in the contact, it’s not – I shouldn't say it's easy, but it's not as hard as it as it was before.

“I am a bit more confident, especially going in the tackles as well making tackles. Working on my technique’s helped a lot as well, but being a little bit stronger makes it a lot more easier than it has been.”