He gets joy from people coming after him Former Panther now the Eels key man

In the sheds in Rockhampton last Sunday, following a tough 28-22 elimination final victory over Newcastle, it was easy to appreciate what Reagan Campbell-Gillard means to Parramatta.

While star halfback Mitchell Moses was excellent against the Knights and had his performance lauded as a match-winning one, Campbell-Gillard’s effort to flatten rivals and set the physical tone â€" especially after six weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury â€" was not lost on his teammates.

So much so that the players’ player vote was perfectly split, Campbell-Gillard and Moses sharing the gong.

Coach Brad Arthur knew he had been missing Campbell-Gillard during his time on the sidelines, but he only realised how much by watching his first carry.

“You saw straight away what we have missed while he’s been out,” Arthur told the Herald before Saturday’s semi-final against bitter western Sydney rivals Penrith.

“He’s a play-one specialist, someone who loves to take the ball from the kick-off, the dropouts, all those really tough carries.

No fear ... Parramatta prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

“He loves coming off the back fence. He actually gets joy out of blokes coming after him.

“And what that does is then allow guys like Junior [Paulo], ‘Browny’ [Nathan Brown] and ‘Ice’ [Isaiah Papali’i] to do what they do best later on in the tackle count.

“He blew pretty early last weekend like we knew he would. He only played 40 minutes. This week he’ll get closer to 50 to 55 minutes.”

Campbell-Gillard is coming up against his former club, a club he could easily still be at. The Panthers signed him to a mega deal through to the end of 2024, only for Campbell-Gillard to join the Eels at the start of last year. Penrith are still contributing about $200,000 of his salary for this year.

off the back fence ... Reagan Campbell-Gillard will lead the charge against his former teammates.

Campbell-Gillard is a proud Mt Druitt boy who once dreamt of being a police officer. But there was plenty going on in his life at the time, and the change of scenery was seen as the best thing for both parties.

Arthur couldn’t believe his luck. The Eels coach was searching for a big body and has never forgotten the day Campbell-Gillard virtually swung the game back in Penrith’s favour against Parramatta on a steamy Sunday afternoon in the opening round of 2018.

“We started well that day and led, but then Reg started the second half and tore us to pieces,” Arthur said.

“He carried the ball off the back fence, ran hard and gave them momentum. They were all over us.

“We were keen on him. It wasn’t his fault or Penrith’s fault it didn’t work out. Sometimes players get stale in their environment and need a change. He has openly said he needed a change. He doesn’t have a grievance with them.

“I think Reg is one of the best front-rowers in the game. He is a genuine front-rower. I thought Junior and Reg could have been the Origin front-rowers this year. NSW won the series and that’s great. But I thought Reg was the form front-rower for mine [before Origin I].”

The best part about Campbell-Gillard, said Arthur, was his ability to play with aggression but discipline. His hit on Tyson Frizell in the second half last week was one of the best of the year.

“It’s no good being aggressive if you go out there and be an idiot and cost your teammates,” Arthur said.

“Reg has worked hard on lowering his target area when coming out of the line so he doesn’t give away penalties. His aggression has been excellent but his discipline was even better last Sunday.”

Penrith legend Mark Geyer said the showdown between Campbell-Gillard and Panthers hardman James Fisher-Harris would be “worth the cost of admission alone in Mackay”.

“He was their best player last Sunday and definitely made a difference,” Geyer said. “I rate him. Sometimes you need a change of scenery to light that spark again, and Parramatta has done that for him. He’ll be a big focal point on Saturday night. If you stop him, you stop Parra.”

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