Veteran livewire Preston Campbell will play out his 14-season NRL career as captain after Gold Coast's players voted for him to lead them in their Last v First NRL battle on Saturday night.

Campbell will not only replace injured playmaker Scott Prince in the No.7 jersey but also as Titans skipper and goalkicker when he lines up against the Melbourne Storm at Skilled Park.

Player power led the way for the 34-year-old to take the role which former co-captain Luke Bailey was expected to assume after Prince broke his arm in their last-start win over Cronulla.

"It wasn't really officially mine to give away but I just know that being a captain is about blokes respecting you and there's probably no more of a bloke at the club that gets more respect from his players than Presto," Bailey said Friday.

"I just asked Carty (coach John Cartwright) if he was going to hand it to him rather than me.

"I love playing with Presto and I'd love him to lead us out for the last four games and try and get off the bottom of the table."

Fittingly, it will also be Campbell's 100th top-grade match for a Gold Coast-based side, after he debuted in 1998 with the then Chargers.

A former NRL halfback of the year with the Sharks and 2003 Penrith premiership star, the 260-match stalwart will retire at season's end.

Cartwright expects Campbell to thrive in his favourite position and with the captaincy as he plots to upset the competition frontrunners.

The dynamic utility back also has a fine record against the Storm after inspiring the Titans to an 18-6 win in Melbourne in 2009 and a 20-16 victory at Skilled Park last year.

"Luke Bailey was probably the obvious choice but as selfless as Bails is, he came with the group opinion that they'd like Presto to be captain," Cartwright said.

"It's a great honour and to get it that way, it's an even greater honour.

"It won't change the way he plays, he can't play any braver and can't do any more on the field than what he does."

The Storm are certainly on guard for a potential ambush with skipper Cameron Smith well aware of the history between the clubs.

"They tend to fire up a bit when they play us, and particularly on their home turf," he said on SEN Radio.

"We've got to go up there not thinking about a month's time when the finals start, we've got to go there and make sure we prepare for a really tough time because that's what it will be."

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