Queensland Reds fullback Jock Campbell is living up to the hype after being compared to Darren Lockyer

The ‘Locky’ jibes from his Reds teammates are fine with Jock Campbell, provided Queensland keeps winning.

Being compared to rugby league great Darren Lockyer by Reds coach Brad Thorn has led to Queensland fullback Jock Campbell copping some good-natured ribbing from his teammates.

However, the joke has been on the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific competition, with Campbell among Queensland’s best performers in the Reds’ undefeated start to the season.

Campbell was among the tryscorers in Queensland’s impressive 29-16 defeat of the Western Force in Perth last Friday night, with his fleet of foot and glide across the surface – the characteristics that last month had Thorn comparing him to Lockyer – again evident.

“It was very cool that he said something like that,” Campbell said.

“I watched plenty of league when I was growing up (and) I played league until I was about 13, (but) I can’t say I saw too much of Darren Lockyer in me when I was 12.

“The boys are giving me a fair bit of grief about that, and rightly so.”

That means putting up with cries of “Locky” from his fellow Reds at training.

“They’re trying to make it stick,” Campbell said.

But he won’t mind the teasing if he and the Reds can make it four successive wins with victory over Fijian Drua at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night,

“I’m really enjoying my footy at the moment, like everyone is. I’m just loving it on the field,” he said.

“In the past we were that team that put a lot of pressure on, but couldn’t really execute to score points, but it’s good to see that we’re getting to that space where we’re making it hard for teams to score and when we get the ball, we can move up the field quite comfortably.”

A memorable night in Perth for our men and women #ForQueensland#RedsFamilypic.twitter.com/M0XBp862nc

— Queensland Reds (@Reds_Rugby) March 5, 2022

Campbell isn’t the only one in his family making an impression, with his older sister Tina part of the Reds women’s team which started the Super W season in style last Friday night with a 43-7 thrashing of the Force in Perth.

The Campbell siblings will again be in action on the same day and venue this weekend, with the Reds women taking on Fijiana Drua before the men’s match.

“She does the hard work; she’s in the forwards, “ Jock said of Tina.

The pair played junior rugby together in Inverell.

“I was definitely the only girl in the team,” Tina said.

“I loved it. I played with my older brother as well, Ben, so the three of us played for the Inverell Highlanders.

“It was a great experience – fond memories.”

Tina joked she “bossed” around Jock, but was grateful for his support in Perth last week.

“We’re quite relaxed people, so sometimes we don’t think about how special it is,” she said.

“He came to see me before my game and was there watching a bit of the game, so I appreciated the support.”

Originally published as Queensland Reds fullback Jock Campbell is living up to the hype after being compared to Darren Lockyer