Young gun Zane Harrison may only be four games into his flourishing first grade career, but his Titans teammates feel their No. 7 has been a NRL stalwart for years.
Given the keys to the side with coach Josh Hannay's blessing, the self-described 'traditional halfback' has impressed in his opening month as Gold Coast's primary playmaker - receiving immense praise from his peers for the maturity he's shown despite only having just turned 20.
"For his age, the [footy] head that he's got is ridiculous," Jayden Campbell told Fox League after Saturday' 28-23 win against the Broncos.
"It makes my job so much easier.
"He leads the team around really well and I just can't wait to keep playing with him and keep building our combination."
Campbell goes back to back
Credited with unlocking Campbell's running game - Harrison helping setup his partner-in-crime's crucial try-scoring double at the weekend - the rookie playmaker has also earned the respect of the Titans' forward pack, who have relished his nonchalant but tempered direction on the field.
"It's funny... he's only a young kid but it feels like we've got an old head out there," dynamic forward Kurtis Morrin said.
"He just steers the team around nicely and gets us to our points we need to on the field.
"He's just cool, calm and collected when he's out there.
"His attitude towards footy [is his best attribute]... he's a student of the game and you can always rely on him to come up with the right play because he's done the work.
"He's such a hard worker."
The high school prodigy has a magnificent rugby league resume even before adding NRL to his list of recent achievements, collecting a number of individual honours whilst steering Palm Beach Currumbin to Queensland and National Schoolboy Cup success in 2024.
Facing Daly Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker in his debut match, the New South Wales Under 19 playmaker is no stranger to facing off against some of the best linchpins in the game.
This week, he's tasked with matching it against four-time premiership-winner Jarome Luai who will be hungry for redemption alongside his Wests Tigers teammates.
Match: Wests Tigers v Titans
Round 15 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
10th Position
away Team
Titans
15th Position
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
But in his corner backing Harrison is another multi-title champion in Cooper Cronk, who believes he's Gold Coast's future with everything he's seen so far.
"There are some signs that this young kid can play halfback for a long period of time," the former Queensland and Australian halfback said on Fox League’s post-game coverage on Saturday.
"You can never predict the future, but I think the Gold Coast Titans have found their halfback.
"There are some things that this young kid has done in his short career that says there are a lot of good building blocks they can develop on.
"He's a decent defender, has a good kicking game and tries hard on every play, but he’s also providing space for [Keano] Kini and Campbell to do their thing."
