Coming from a rugby union background in the town of Christchurch,[1] Campbell represented Mid Canterbury in rugby at junior level before moving to Australia at age 16 and the town of Hamilton where he began playing Aussie rules in 2001, quickly proving a standout talent in country football before playing full forward at the North Ballarat Rebels.
27 selection at the 2003 national draft as a key position prospect, Campbell spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons as a development player at West Perth in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).
Campbell made his AFL debut in Round 10, 2006 against Richmond, but it would be his only appearance for Fremantle in the year, with Ryan Murphy being preferred as the second key forward behind Matthew Pavlich.
From round 19 2007, Campbell returned and found some excellent form, kicking multiple goals in several games.
[2] In 2008, Campbell managed just fives games, but showed signs of improvement, increasing his averages for marks, kicks and goals.