Why Adelaide Crows are still counting the cost of trading Charlie Cameron to Brisbane
Charlie Cameron was the missing piece former Adelaide football manager David Noble was looking for when he was planning how to get the Lions out of the mire. Now he is the player the Crows miss the most, writes Warren Tredrea.
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Of all the players who have left West Lakes, Charlie Cameron is the one Adelaide misses the most.
It’s a big call, considering Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield is clearly the best player who has jumped ship. And Adelaide fans will never forget watching Jack Gunston taste premiership glory three years in a row with Hawthorn.
But as brilliant as they have been, Adelaide has had ample midfield depth – men who’ve stepped up to cover Dangerfield’s absence – while its forward line was only a couple of years ago ranked the best in the league. Sure, these players would easily find a home in Don Pyke’s best 22 but the one man they haven’t been able to cover is forward Cameron.
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Soon after the 2017 grand final, when Richmond claimed premiership glory, Cameron had his heart set on a move to Brisbane. Like many, I asked “why Brisbane?” The Lions were bottom, in financial difficulty and had only won five games in 2017.
Cameron wanted to swap the best ranked team after the minor round for the worst. It didn’t make sense.
No doubt he was being paid well – some called it a retirement fund boost – but two years later, Cameron and the Lions are having the last laugh. While the Crows are in an arm wrestle with Port Adelaide, Essendon and the Western Bulldogs to fall into the top eight, the Lions are equal top with 15 wins, sitting only percentage behind Geelong and well in the hunt for the 2019 premiership.
How time flies and how the Lions have roared. Since Cameron’s departure, the Crows haven’t been able to apply enough forward-half pressure.
And as good as Lachie Murphy has been, he isn’t Cameron. His electric speed, tackling and chasing pressure is second to none and what was previously an Achilles heel – goalkicking – has improved dramatically.
In his final year as a Crow, Cameron booted 29 goals and 25 behinds in 24 matches, a 54 per cent conversion.
In his nearly two seasons as a Lion, Cameron has kicked 64 goals and 30 behinds at 68 per cent, with 47 majors coming so far in 2019. Cameron’s statistics are impressive, averaging 12.6 disposals, 3.5 marks, two tackles, and 2.4 goals a game.
Right now, Cameron is the best small forward in the game. While he plays slightly differently to his former teammate, friend and future Australian Football Hall of Famer Eddie Betts, he is every bit as effective.
Cameron was the missing piece former Adelaide football manager David Noble was looking for when he was planning how to get the Lions out of the mire.
First they were able to retain some of the best young talent in the game but Cameron’s recruitment was strategic and efficient, getting their hands on then potentially one of the best pressure forwards in the game. The role Cameron is playing is vital in 2019, because all clubs focus on winning the ball from the contest and scoring quickly.
But when they don’t have possession, you need to be able to win it back as soon as possible – and that’s what makes Cameron so valuable. Not only is he electric in attack but he is lightning quick and ruthless in defence. And after watching West Coast take the competition by storm over the past two seasons, not only do the Eagles have gun talls Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling, they also possess some of the best small pressure forwards – Liam Ryan, Willie Rioli, and Jamie Cripps.
On Sunday, I witnessed a desperate and gallant Adelaide fall 10 points short of what appeared an unlikely win over the Eagles. It was hard not to think that in a game when Adelaide could only lay five tackles inside 50 to the Eagles’ 19, what if Cameron two years ago chose to stick around?
The Crows might have won.