It was just a few minutes into the Brisbane Lions game against Hawthorn last Sunday at the Gabba. Hawthorn had the first goal on the board and were dominating possession. Harry Morrison speared the ball into attack, towards a loose Jarryd Roughead, whom Lions defender Darcy Gardiner was cutting across to cover.
Neither Roughead nor Gardiner got near it. Instead Charlie Cameron, far from his usual home in attack, leapt almost clean over his own teammate – other than a shin that collected with the unfortunate Gardiners head – to take the mark from the side. It was outrageous. Even as the Hawks briefly skipped away, you knew that the Lions were in the game.
Charlie Cameron and Luke Hodge at the centre of Lion celebrations after the win over Hawthorn.
Photo: AAP
The impact of Cameron on the Lions since crossing last year from Adelaide has been enormous. Internally, hes already regarded as something of a barometer. Lions coach Chris Fagan has relentlessly urged his young team to attack, to bring fans back to the Gabba. Cameron is one player fans will come to see because hes such a joy to watch.
You can tell he enjoys it, too. At Adelaide, he played under coaches Brenton Sanderson, the late Phil Walsh and Don Pyke. “They all just had the same message, which was get out there, back yourself in, believe in yourself and have fun, and thats what I did. I just try to go out there and have fun. Its like having a kick in the park.”
But behind this pure footballing talent was a kid who had grown up in Queensland – on Mornington Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria – before boarding in Brisbane. He spent six months with the Lions talent academy but quit to focus on rugby, at which he excelled at both – league and union. He loved the hard stuff: despite being lightly built, he didnt need much coaching on the games defensive aspects.
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Late in his teens, Camerons parents moved to the Pilbara mining camp of Newman in Western Australia. There was no rugby there, so he started playing for the local Australian rules team, the Saints. Hed only played a handful of games, but he was quickly noticed and picked up by Swan Districts in the WAFL, before the Crows drafted him as a rookie in 2013.
Lions football manager David Noble, then at the Crows, saw his first game for the Swans. His first impressions were striking. “[He] was a really highly charged, energetic small forward that just loved tackling. He loved the combative side of the game. And when we got to meet him it was his infectious nature that really resonated with you.”
Cameron is delighted to be closer to Mornington Island.
Photo: AAP
He describes Camerons contribution to the Lions growth in his nine games, on field and off, as “substantial, internally. Hes always got a smile, hes cheeky, engaging, and at the same time hes a little bit shy. As hes become comfortable in our environment, getting to learn more about his teammates, hes having more to say.”
Cameron is indeed shy, but his manner is easy and friendly. His biggest motivation for returning to Queensland is his island home, Mornington. “That place is pretty special to me,'' he says. ''Its a little, remote community, wed just go fishing and stuff, and I want to try to get back there, see all my family. Im hoping to get back in the off-season break.”
Hes now played 82 senior games, jagging a very respectable 104 goals, and says hes still learning the caper. “Im sort of adapting to it, getting used to the game. For me, not knowing much of the rules and stuff, that side of things, Im still learning about that, but everything else, I just play footy, just reacting off other players.”
This doesnt mean Cameron is uncoachable – hes quite the opposite – but he is a natural footballer who plays largely on instinct. That mark over Gardiner, his teammate, was an example: he just wanted the ball. “Either youre in the intuition bucket or youre in the instinct bucket, and hes definitely in that instinct bucket,” Noble says.
“Hes an instinctive ball-getter, theres no doubt about that. And hes learning more about the game, but he has a really good feel. His intuition in regards to being selfless and providing leads that open up different holes for other players is really good.”
Indeed, like Eddie Betts, whom he played alongside in Adelaide – perhaps obscuring his own remarkable ability – Cameron can be unselfish to a fault. Against Hawthorn, he marked on the edge of the goal square and, thinking the umpire would pull him around on a tight angle, he squared the ball to his captain, Dayne Beams, when he didnt need to.
In the coachs box, Fagan said he couldnt bear to watch Beams shot, which thankfully went through. But thats Cameron. He takes risks, with aggressive field kicks that split the play open and bring teammates into the game. If he misses the target, the result can be a goal to the opposition. But the rewards are high too, and hes worked hard at his skills.
Cameron is only 23, and the Lions dont have many players in that age bracket. To that end, hes helping fill a void, and already an emerging leader of a very young group. But it also makes you think. It took Betts time – and a second club – to reveal the full extent of his genius. How high might Cameron's ceiling be?
Maybe ask Darcy Gardiner, still rubbing his head. Or Noble, who says the Lions are thinking of renaming part of the Gabba after him.
“Adelaide have got Eddies pocket," Noble says. "And Charlies exciting. He stands for a lot of things that we want to be. Hes selfless, hes competitive, and he loves kicking goals and entertaining, so why cant we have Charlies Corner at the Gabba?”
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