Senior Charlie Cameron (2017-)

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The Charlie Cameron History Of Crows v Lions

Sunday 10 August 2014 wasn’t exactly the best day in Brisbane Lions history. It was as bad as it gets. But it introduced local fans to a young player who 10 years on is a huge club favourite looking forward to a monster game at the Gabba on Sunday at the end of a very big week.

Charlie Cameron was introduced to Lions fans on that day, playing his fifth AFL game for the Adelaide Crows and his first at the Gabba as the Crows scored a 105-point win.

It is still the Lions’ biggest loss at the Gabba, but at least the legacy lives on.

Cameron at the time was largely unknown to Brisbane football people despite being born in Mt.Isa and, after doing his primary schooling on Mornington Island, finishing his education in Brisbane.

He’d played baseball, rugby union and rugby league at a high level, and a handful of Australian football games at Marist College Ashgrove, where he was a boarder. He spent six months in the Lions Academy but after graduating in 2011 moved with his family to Newman in Western Australia, 1200km north of Perth.

He’d dropped off the Queensland football radar as he was recruited by WAFL club Swan Districts from the north and drafted by the Adelaide Crows as a rookie in November 2013.

The young tearaway had played six games in the SANFL early in 2013 before playing Rounds 9-10-11-12 in the AFL. He had 35 possessions and 15 tackles and kicked five goals – three against Fremantle in Round 12.

A groin injury sidelined him for the next five weeks, but after two SANFL games he was recalled by third-year coach Brenton Sanderson for his Gabba debut. He joined a 22-year-old Jarryd Lyons and Tom Lynch of St.Kilda and Adelaide fame in replacing James Podsiadly (rested), Scott Thompson (injured) and Rory Laird (dropped).

Also in the visiting side were 24-year-old pair Patrick Dangerfield and Taylor Walker and a 22-year-old Brodie Smith as Queenslander Jono Freeman debuted for Brisbane under Justin Leppitsch alongside Dayne Zorko in his 57th game and an 18-year-old Darcy Gardiner in game #14.

It was a slaughter. Walker kicked six goals as the Crows won 25-18 (168) to 9-9 (63) despite 40 possessions from Brisbane captain Tom Rockliff, as Cameron, then wearing jumper #42, had 13 possessions, two tackles and kicked 1-3.

It was an immediate Cameron farewell to second-tier football. He finished the year in the top side and hasn’t looked back, playing 22-20-24 games in the next three years, including the 2017 grand final, before requesting a trade to Brisbane. And after his first Lions season ended with a Round 11 knee injury he’s played 133 games without a miss.

He’s played in the last 12 games between the clubs – five for five wins and eight goals for Adelaide, and seven for a 5-1-1 record for Brisbane to go with 20 goals.

The dual All-Australian and four-time Lions leading goal-kicker has had countless special moments in a wonderful career, but even he will remember this week as being extra special.

Having signed a three-year contract extension which will keep him in Lions colors until the end of 2028, and celebrated his 30th birthday today (Friday), he’ll be keen to celebrate as the eighth-placed Lions, with an 8-1-6 record, face the 14th-placed Crows (5-1-9) in a danger game.

Brisbane are 5-1-3 against Adelaide under Chris Fagan, but their last three meetings produced a draw at Adelaide Oval in Round 9 this year, a six-point Brisbane win at the Gabba and a 17-point Adelaide win at AO in 2023.
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Star Lion at ease despite ‘up and down’ season as young guns lead explosive finals charge

Lions livewire Charlie Cameron admits his form has been a “mixed bag” this year, but his frustrations have been tempered by his role in helping Brisbane’s emerging crop of forwards shine in the AFL.

Cameron’s goal tally of 30 in 19 appearances this season has left him feeling unsatisfied on a personal level.

However, in a season of enforced transition at the Lions due to season-ending knee injuries suffered by a host of players, including fellow forward Linc McCarthy, 30-year-old Cameron is embracing a “different role” as he takes the likes of young attacking weapons Kai Lohmann, Logan Morris and Henry Smith under his wing.

“At times it’s hard as a small forward because you just want to go get the ball and kick goals,” he said.

“In the past, a couple of years ago, I would have got frustrated but I’m just trying to find a way to keep myself engaged in the game, talking to and helping blokes set up, bringing my pressure and celebrating the little things.

“For me, it’s been a mixed bag this year, a bit up and down, but I’m trying to play a different role this year.

“With Linc (Lincoln McCarthy) going down, it has put a bit more onus on the young blokes coming through, and as long as I’m playing my role for the team trying to bring pressure and helping those young blokes, it’s a good thing.”

With the resurgent Lions chasing a ninth successive win on Sunday at Marvel Stadium against St Kilda, Cameron is hopeful his patience and dedication will be rewarded at the business end of the season.

“I’ve just got to keep persisting, and when the big moments come up, hopefully at the end of the year, I’m there at the right time proving a point,” he said.

“I’ll get my chances. I’ve just got to stick with what I’m doing and trust the process during the week and leading up to the games.”

Regardless of whether the Lions go one better this season by winning the premiership, Cameron said the future was bright for the club with the experience gained this year by emerging talents such as Kai Lohmann, Logan Morris, Henry Smith, Shadeau Brain and Bruce Reville.

“It shows where the club’s at,” he said.

“At VFL level, all the players there are playing their role, and when they’ve got their chance in the AFL, they’ve executed their roles, which is good because it’s putting pressure on the players in the AFL, really challenging us to keep on our toes and keep our spot.”
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Charlie Cameron For Life

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It goes without saying that it’s always important for any AFL club to draft good talent, but sometimes the most critical talent is the imported talent. The proven product. Like Lions excitement machine Charlie Cameron.

On Saturday, when the Lions host a 2nd v 4th showdown with the GWS Giants at the Gabba at 1.45pm, Cameron will become just the fourth Brisbane ‘import’ to play 150 games with the club.

He will join the illustrious trio of Roger Merrett, Alastair Lynch and Chris Johnson as recruiting gold stars among a list of 33 Brisbane 150-gamers all-time.

And in a sense Cameron is a trailblazer above even Merrett, the long-time Brisbane Bears captain, and Lynch and Johnson, Fitzroy stars who became triple premiership stars in Brisbane.

Cameron is the antithesis of the ‘go home’ factor that for so long has been the scourge of non-Victorian AFL clubs … a Queenslander who came ‘home’.

He did so via a masterful trade prompted by the desire of Queensland-born Cameron to be closer to family after four years and 73 games with the Adelaide Crows.

It was the last step down a long and varied path for the electrifying forward, who was briefly a member of the Lions Academy during his last year at Marist College, Ashgrove.

Born in Mt.Isa and a primary school student on Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Cameron left the Sunshine State as a 17-year-old after finishing his secondary education in Brisbane. He moved with his family to Newman in outback Western Australia and later to Perth-based WAFL club Swan Districts, from which he was drafted to the AFL.

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After a stand-off which sent the Cameron deal into the last hours of the 2017 trade week, Brisbane secured his services in exchange for pick #12 in the 2017 National Draft, which the Crows used to secure Glenelg (SANFL) forward Darcy Fogarty.

In a quirky twist, Fogarty will play his 100th game for the Crows this weekend having kicked 151 goals as Cameron plays his 150th game for the Lions after booting 305 goals for the club.

Cameron is one of a group of imports who have been part of the Lions rebuild launched in 2017 under coach Chris Fagan, with Lachie Neale (130 games), the injured Lincoln McCarthy (122), Jarryd Lyons (104), Joe Daniher (89) and Callum AhChee (91), and more recently Josh Dunkley (44) and Conor McKenna (39).
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Cameron, on a streak of 138 consecutive games that is second in the League behind Collingwood’s Jack Crisp at 234, was the 67th of 101 first-time draftees in 2013. He was taken by Adelaide with pick #7 in the rookie draft immediately after Brisbane took Aspley Isaac Conway, brother of Lions AFLW star Sophie Conway, at #6. He didn’t play at AFL level.

Eleven years on, Cameron’s 222 AFL games ranks third in the AFL Draft Class of 2013 behind only Western Bulldogs pick #4 Marcus Bontempelli (236) and Essendon #26 Zach Merrett (226), and ahead of GWS #2 Josh Kelly (210), Carlton #13 Patrick Cripps (203) and North’s #8 Luke McDonald (200).

He’s the leading goal-kicker from that draft with 392, ahead of North Melbourne/Melbourne #47 Ben Brown (360), Melbourne/Fremantle/GWS mini-draft pick Jesse Hogan (332) and Bontempelli (228).

With Geelong’s Jake Kolodjashnij, drafted at #41, he’s played most finals at 19. And having won All-Australian selection in 2019-23, he is one of nine draftees from 2013 to win a combined 18 A/A blazers. The others are Bontempelli (5), Cripps (3), Merrett (3), Kelly (1), Adelaide pick #23 Matt Crouch (1), Sydney/Port #44 Aliir Aliir (1), Port #52 Darcy Byrne-Jones (1) and Hawthorn #56 James Sicily (1).

With 392 career goals, Cameron is poised to become just the fourth rookie all-time to kick 400 goals behind St Kilda’s Stephen Milne (574), Hawthorn’s Luke Breust (544) and Melbourne’s Russell Robertson (428).

And with 305 goals in Lions colours, he is fifth on the club’s all-time goal-kicking list behind Jonathan Brown (594), Daniel Bradshaw (496), Lynch (460) and Jason Akermanis (307).

Having celebrated his 30th birthday on 5 July, Cameron will be Brisbane’s third-oldest 150-gamer behind Lynch (34) and teammate Dayne Zorko, who was 41 days older.

The club’s youngest 150-gamers have been Nigel Lappin and Marcus Ashcroft at 24, and Michael Voss, Jason Akermanis, Simon Black, Luke Power and Chris Scott at 25.

Having worn jumper #42 in his first seven games with Adelaide before switching to the #23, and retaining #23 when he moved to Brisbane, Cameron will play his 216th game in the number worn most often for Brisbane by Justin Leppitsch (222 games) and for Fitzroy by Norm Brown (160).

He is set to displace Leppitsch from 10th spot on the AFL list all-time for games in #23, which is headed by ex-Adelaide champion Andrew McLeod (340) and Hawthorm/Sydney superstar Lance Franklin (333).
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Senior Charlie Cameron (2017-)

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