Eddie Betts makes sure new Crows dynamo Charlie Cameron eats his veggies

EDDIE Betts is looking after upgraded Crows rookie Charlie Cameron so that he feels at home in Adelaide.

CHARLIE Cameron doesn’t like vegetables.

So Eddie Betts’ fiancee, Anna, hid them in his meat patties.

“And now he’s eating them,’’ said Betts of the Crows’ latest forward line excitement machine.

Betts and his fiancee have taken it upon themselves to help upgraded rookie Cameron — a revelation in his first game against Collingwood last week — to live better and make him feel more at home in Adelaide.

“Because I won’t want to see him become one of those young indigenous kids who struggles in a new environment, gets homesick and wants to leave,’’ Betts said.

“I’ve experienced it and it can be tough. I know when I moved to Victoria (from Port Lincoln) as a teenager I was homesick.

“I had mum with me and I was still homesick and wanted to go back home to see dad.

“I didn’t want to come back and play footy and you see it with a lot of young indigenous kids.

“The latest is Dayle Garlett at Hawthorn. He’s a huge talent but he’s already gone back home.

“I always said if I had the opportunity to mentor one of these kids I would do it and Anna feels the same way.’’

But even Betts was surprised by 19-year-old Cameron’s eating habits.

“He doesn’t eat a lot of things — eggs, vegetables and salad,’’ explained Betts.

“When he goes to Subway he’ll just order chicken, bacon and cheese with his roll. There’s no salad.

“So we started sneaking some chopped up veggies into his meat patties so he would eat them.

“Slowly he’s starting to eat better and the boys at the club make sure he has some veggies when we’re having lunch at the club.

“Even then he chops them into small pieces and swallows them with water but at least we’re getting there.’’

Betts described Cameron — recruited at pick seven from Swan Districts at last year’s rookie draft — as “a ripper of a kid’’.

He said he reminds him of his former Carlton teammate Jeff Garlett, who will play against them at the MCG on Sunday.

“Charlie just has great natural ability, clean hands and tremendous closing speed,” Betts said.

“He loves to tackle and he doesn’t back down for the little, skinny unit that he is.

“And one of the impressive things about him this week is that while everyone from the media has been trying to get hold of him he’s kept a clear head and just focused on training hard.’’