Tedesco out to reclaim Campbelltown house

James Tedesco suffered a broken jaw in the Wests Tigers' most recent game at Campbelltown but he's looking forward to a return this weekend.

James Tedesco of the Tigers

James Tedesco is looking forward to returning to Campbelltown with the Wests Tigers. (AAP)

The last time James Tedesco played an NRL game in Campbelltown, he trudged off with a broken jaw and watched Jarryd Hayne scream 'This is my house'.

But Camden local Tedesco insists he had no problem with Hayne - the most successful product out of Minto - marking his territory and letting all the Wests Tigers fans know about it.

"That's how Jarryd is I guess," Tedesco told AAP.

"He's a confident player and speaks his mind. I got nothing against that.

"It is our area but he grew up here and this is where he's from.

"I suppose Camden's my house."

Heralded as an upcoming star through the junior ranks, Tedesco quickly became the rugby league face of south-west Sydney after Hayne's storied venture to the NFL two years ago.

It's a title the Tigers fullback not only embraces but is proud of.

"Guys like me and David Nofoaluma, we're very proud to come from this area. Every time we pull on a Tigers jersey and run out here, it's a pretty special moment," Tedesco said.

"A lot of the boys prefer Leichhardt because they're Balmain juniors but for us westies, it's good to come out here.

"We haven't really had a Sunday game for a while here. Hopefully we can get some good weather and have a packed stadium because it's been a while since we had that."

Tedesco insists he holds no grudges with Titans forward Ryan James over the high tackle that not only ended his 2016 season prematurely, but left the Tigers' finals hopes in tatters.

"I was obviously disappointed I copped that hit (last year) but we've had plenty of good games," Tedesco said.

A big round-one win has revitalised hopes of a better campaign this year and the incumbent NSW State of Origin fullback wants to build on that momentum in Campbelltown.

"We played our trial here against the Cowboys and I was happy with that game," Tedesco said.

"Hopefully we can build off last week, I was happy with that performance and hopefully we can build as a team from that."

The Tigers are unchanged from the side that defeated South Sydney last week, with Jamal Idris again set to come off the bench and Michael Chee Kam starting in the centres.

For Penrith, who were surprise last-start losers to St George-Illawarra, Peta Hiku is out with a fractured eye socket and has been replaced by youngster Dylan Edwards.

Second-rower Bryce Cartwright is a confirmed starter despite a week of off-field drama.

STATS THAT MATTER

* Penrith have won three of their past four against the Tigers, all by 16 points or more.

* Six of the past seven Tigers matches at Campbelltown have been decided by eight points or less.

* Waqa Blake has scored a try in each of his past seven matches, and eight tries in his past nine games.


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Source: AAP



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