Preston Campbell re-signs with Titans - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Preston Campbell re-signs with Titans

09/09/2009 07:15:41 PM Comments (0)

Retirement plans appear to have been put on hold by Gold Coast Titans livewire Preston Campbell.

Certainly he is showing no signs of slowing down.

At 32, Campbell has not only re-signed for another two years - he has dropped a heavy hint that he will continue playing beyond 2011.

Not a bad result for an "old bloke" who contemplated hanging up the boots before the 2009 NRL season.

The popular utility's announcement on Wednesday was a welcome shot in the arm for the Titans as they sweated on the fitness of Mat Rogers and Brett Delaney ahead of their maiden NRL finals campaign.

Rogers rated himself a "70-30" chance of overcoming a hamstring complaint and playing the Broncos at Skilled Park on Saturday night but Delaney looked at longer odds.

Delaney was surprisingly named in the biggest game of the Titans' short history despite missing the past five weeks with a hamstring injury.

A final decision on the pair's availability will be made on Friday.

But Campbell was feeling no pain after inking the latest deal.

His career has come full circle after making his first-grade debut for the now defunct Gold Coast Chargers way back in 1998.

Amazingly the former Dally M Medallist hinted that 2009 may be his last hurrah.

But both Campbell and Titans boss Michael Searle happily stoked speculation that the veteran would play beyond 2011 on Wednesday.

"At the start of the year I was hopeful that he would feel as though he had enough juice in the tank to go another year," Searle said.

"He has continued to exceed everyone's expectations.

"I am not game to say for one minute, and this will probably raise eyebrows, that it won't be only two years."

Campbell's reasoning behind his re-signing was simple.

"I am feeling pretty good, to put it bluntly," he said.

"At the start of the year, probably a bit prematurely, I said maybe this would be my last year.

"But the way things have been going, I have been feeling pretty good.

"The fact that Searly and Carty (coach John Cartwright) have put a bit of faith in an old bloke like myself has been really good as well."

And why not? Campbell has defied his age to help guide the Titans to not only their first playoff campaign, but a home final against arch rivals Brisbane this weekend.

So could he play beyond 34?

"It is really early to tell. But as long as I am still enjoying it, that is a big part of the reason why I did re-sign," Campbell said.

"It has changed a lot over the years but it is pretty much the same thing - you have to put the ball over the line and make the big boys chase you."

Their finals clash is expected to be a sell out.

"I have played some local derbies at Penrith against Parramatta and they were really big ones, but I don't think it is any bigger than this," Campbell said.

"They call the Broncos the big brother but hopefully after Saturday night we will be the big brother."

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