Titans' Campbell not feeling 'pressured'
He's without the two running mates he's had by his side since Gold Coast came into the competition, but veteran halfback Preston Campbell denies the pressure is on him to do it all against red-hot Manly on Monday night.
Mat Rogers (knee) joined skipper Scott Prince (thumb) on the sidelines this week, the Titans' halves pairing from their first match back in 2007 now consigned to the role of spectators with playmaking duties falling to Campbell and Greg Bird.
The Titans have won just one of three games with Prince out, and with Bird more a runner than distributor, it is assumed most of the play will run through Campbell.
But the 32-year-old denies he's feeling obliged to do anything different.
"I don't think it puts pressure on me, I think it's something that everyone out there has to take the onus," Campbell said after his side's final training run on Sunday.
"It's not really about doing more than you're expected, it's about every player doing his job and doing the best they can.
"We've got a game plan we think can work." Campbell did however admit the side would miss Rogers, who will be replaced by Clinton Toopi in his first game in the NRL since 2006.
"He's one of those guys that really lifts the team when it's needed," Campbell said of Rogers.
"He's going to be missed, but at least we've got another experienced player in Toopi coming in - hopefully he can fill the void." The Titans face a Sea Eagles outfit that's won its last four games, the men from Sydney's northern beaches finally having figured out how to convert a dominant start into premiership points.
Campbell said the Titans would be focused on keeping Manly pegged down early, backing his side's beefed-up pack to match it with the biggest arsenal of muscle in the NRL.
"We've got a little bit of size there now - not taking away from the blokes we've had in the forwards the last few years but in Sam Tagatese, Matty White coming off the bench, the boys can really go forward for us," Campbell said.
Post a comment about this article
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.