Campese has been named in an extended 30-man Raiders squad for the side’s first trial match of the year against the Melbourne Storm in Albury on Saturday.

It will be the 27-year-old’s first run in anger since last June and will hopefully mark the conclusion of a horror on-field run for the one-time NSW State of Origin representative.

Campese played just eight minutes of football last year after tearing his right adductor in the Raiders round 13 loss to the North Queensland Cowboys.

The injury served to cruel his 2011 campaign and came on the back of the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament Campese suffered during Canberra’s 2010 finals campaign.

Having spent such a limited amount of time on the field during the past 18 months, the playmaker could be forgiven for experiencing more than just the usual pre-game nerves heading into tomorrow’s clash.

But Campese said a strong preseason had served to banish any doubts in his own mind as to whether or not he was ready to strap the boots on once again.

‘‘I’m not really concerned about any injuries at the moment,’’ he said.

‘‘I could have played the last few rounds last year but just didn’t want to risk it so I’ve been training hard for a fair while now,’’ he said.

‘‘At the moment I’m feeling fitter than I’ve ever been and definitely confident there won’t be any problems with the injuries that I’ve had.’’

While Campese could do little but watch on in frustration as the Raiders stumbled through a woeful 2011 campaign, the enforced layoff was not a total loss for the Queanbeyan product.

After welcoming daughter Billie into the world in September 2010, Campese’s second child – son Jett – was born last December.

For a proud dad, the new additions to the Campese household left little time for any kind of morbid introspection.

‘‘It hasn’t been as hard as I thought to be honest,’’ he said. ‘‘Especially the first couple of months, I was pretty much stuck on the couch nursing [Billie] which was good.