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Paul Gallen has rubbished talk of the Eels chasing Titans young gun Jayden Campbell in their search for another fullback.
A day after The Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Chammas revealed the Eels were working the phones in pursuit of a fullback “gamebreaker” or “X-factor”, he reported on Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night that Parramatta was enquiring about luring Campbell away from the Gold Coast mid-contract.
Gutherson gave the Eels his blessing when club powerbrokers informed him they had hit the market, Chammas said.
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Gallen was critical of the Eels’ pursuit of Campbell when Chammas dropped his name at the 100% Footy desk.
“Young Campbell?” Gallen said.
“Is he as good as Gutho?”
Gould defended the incumbent Parramatta fullback, who’s also a co-captain alongside Junior Paulo.
“I’m not saying you’re not right, but I just can’t believe it,” Gallen said.
“I mean, he’s 28 turning 29. He’s still got another two or three years at his peak. I mean, between 28 and 32 is probably where you’re at your peak.
“And I mean, let’s think about the top-notch fullbacks out there. We’re talking about Latrell Mitchell, Turbo (Tom Trbojevic), (James) Tedesco and maybe (Ryan) Papenhuyzen. They’re not leaving their clubs. Their clubs are not letting them go.”
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Parramatta is on the hunt for another fullback despite re-signing Gutherson on a big-money deal in November 2021.
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The former New South Wales Blues representative is contracted to the Eels until the end of 2025 on a deal said to be worth $850,000 per year.
Campbell, the son of 2001 Dally M Medal winner Preston Campbell, has played 25 NRL games since being called up for his first-grade debut in 2021.
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The 23-year-old speedster started on the bench in the first four rounds of this season, but is likely to this week be named in the Titans’ 17 due to injuries suffered by fullback AJ Brimson (hamstring) and five-eighth Kieran Foran (calf).
Campbell is contracted to the Titans until the end of 2024.
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