It's always been a dream of Jayden Campbell to follow in his father's footsteps.
His childhood wish to debut for the club his much-loved dad Preston finished his career with came true last season at the ripe old age of 20; and after taking the opportunity to star with the same number jersey his old man made famous, many rugby league fans are wondering if history will repeat for Campbell Jnr in the upcoming All Stars clash.
'All Stars is a goal of mine' - Campbell
"All Stars is obviously a goal of mine, but I’ve only played a few games," Jayden said.
"You’ve got other players who are also up for selection who probably deserve it a little bit more than me at the moment.
"But even to be in the extended squad or go to the camp that they have, that’d be good enough for me."
Like father, like son; it's not surprising the proud Nucoorilma man is humble in his approach to be considered to wear the Indigenous colours, and whilst it's a goal on his radar to play in the highly-anticipated encounter, the young dynamo doesn't want to get complacent with the job ahead of being the Titans' primary fullback.
"It’s a goal of mine and it would probably be a dream come true," Jayden said.
"Obviously, I want to play in the All Stars whenever I can, but I’ll just bide my time.
"If I get selected, that’s awesome. But at the same time, I’m not really too phased about it at the moment.
"I’d love to go, but at that the same time, I’ve got an important role here and I’m just looking forward to 2022."
With the move of AJ Brimson to five-eighth, the son of a gun is ready to be unleashed in the No.1 jersey full-time, but the level-headed 20-year-old isn't taking for granted his promotion to the Gold Coast's top 17.
"It's let me sort of put myself in a mindset where I know I’m in an important role in the team so obviously, I’ve got to work hard. But at the same time, I can’t get too comfortable," Jayden said.
"We’ve got a lot of great players here who can grab that spot at any moment of time, so I can’t get that comfortable."
At Monday's press conference with Gold Coast media, the Helensvale junior was asked about the feeling of being the club's newest fullback and having such a pivotal role at such a young age.
"It’s not just that I’ve got such an important role in the team, but just coming to training every day... this is a dream of mine come true" Jayden said.
"I'm still pinching myself that I get to come here every day and do what I love."
Only returning to pre-season training himself last Friday after being forced to isolate for a week, the newest full-time member of the spine was also asked how both Titans halves are after picking up minor injuries last week.
"I think they might be carrying on a bit," Jayden joked.
"But no, Toby has a calf strain and AJ is just [managing] his hamstring.
"But they were both back running earlier, so hopefully they’re back on the field as soon as possible."
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