AFL 2022: Charlie Cameron on Brisbane Lions’ prospects for new season

One of the AFL’s top indigenous players has revealed his pain at the impact online trolling has had. Charlie Cameron opens up about the need for change and much more.

Not long after they returned for a summer of toil, Chris Fagan sat down his broken-hearted Lions players for a history lesson.

Then he set about working on set-piece plays he believes will help realise his vast ambition for this playing group.

As forward Charlie Cameron says of the club’s 1-4 finals record these past three seasons, their opportunity is wasted only if the Lions fail to learn from their squandered chances.

Twice in three seasons the Lions have lost knockout home semi-finals – by one and three points.

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And their qualifying-final losses came to eventual premiers Melbourne and Richmond, but the jarring reality is for all their promise, they’ve won a single final in three years.

Worse, four of the five losses were on home turf.

Fagan continues to stress to his players that instead of their premiership window slamming shut, it is only just opening.

The differing emotions after last season’s semi-final.

Joe Daniher ponders what might have been after going down to the Bulldogs.

“The semi-final was a tough pill to swallow. Credit to the Doggies, they stood up and won the game,” Cameron told the Herald Sun this week.

“It’s just making the most of those moments. In this competition it’s hard to make finals and we have been able to do it, but it’s trying to get to the grand final now.

“We are the eighth-youngest team in the comp. ‘Fages’ had that stat up the other day and he was talking about how we are in good shape.

“He talks about the Hawthorn days when they were in trouble and couldn’t get over that hump against Sydney (losing the 2012 grand final) and then they came back and won three in a row.

“It was just down to the mindset of some players. For us it was due to injury but we have some good players coming back this year in guys like Cam Rayner. Everyone is excited to see him perform.”

Charlie Cameron says Chris Fagan has drawn on his time at Hawthorn.

As the Lions prepare to tick off their pre-season preparation with a Friday night hitout against their finals conquerors in Luke Beveridge’s Bulldogs, Fagan is convinced the club’s brand stacks up.

Yet he will rejig the midfield by introducing a lean and hungry Rayner, as well as speedsters Zac Bailey and Nakia Cockatoo.

And, as Cameron says, by drilling those key moments until nothing is left to chance.

“We have been training that all pre-season – moments in games and scenarios,” Cameron said.

“It’s unpredictable when it comes to game day, but at least we are prepared when it comes to games.

“We have been training 10 points down with a couple of minutes to go. How are we able to win games? When we are up late, how do we control the ball?

“Most teams will have a plus-one behind the ball, but we want to control it and keep it in our half. It’s a territory game so we need to lock it down.”

Charlie Cameron revs up the crowd.

Cameron could scarcely have done more during a 55-goal season in which he finished the home-and-away season with six-goal and three-goal hauls, before five qualifying-final goals against Melbourne then three in that semi-final loss.

The loss of Eric Hipwood – earmarked for a round 5 VFL return after his anterior cruciate ligament – means the Lions are experimenting with forward set-up of only two talls.

Joe Daniher clearly is the focal point after a strong first season, albeit with diminishing finals returns after rivals double and triple-teamed him.

With Bailey playing more in midfield, Cameron could have a more significant role in attack and as a pressuring player.

“We have been practising all pre-season playing with two talls as a smaller forward line,” he said. “We have adjusted well to the two talls instead of three.

“We can have Oscar (McInerney) and Darcy Fort rotating forward from the ruck, but it’s just the way we move the ball forward. If we can control the build-up we might kick it into the forward line in space instead of on our heads.

Darcy Fort has joined the Lions as support for Oscar McInerney.

“My thing has been trying to get my pressure up. Lincoln McCarthy does a lot of pressuring so if I can take a bit off him and help lock it in our forward half, it gives us more ways to score.”

The Lions recently lost fringe midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen given his refusal to be vaccinated, but Cameron returned to his home town of Mt Isa in October to encourage locals to get vaccinated.

“I am from Mt Isa so it was good to talk to the kids about getting vaccinated,” he said.

“In my culture maybe people are more reluctant than normal people. It was about talking to Indigenous people to get vaccinated.

“I have had it (Covid), but I only had a cough compared to the other boys. I had seven days (in isolation) so I guess it wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t have the symptoms compared to what everyone else was talking about – they felt pretty crook.”

On Ellis-Yolmen’s decision he said: “It is (Cam’s) morals and understanding of what he wants to do, so you have to respect that.

“There is not much you can do about it, but we have to support him and understand where he is coming from.”

For all the gains made – the latest being the AFL mandating Indigenous welfare officers at all 18 clubs – Cameron is still dismayed by the kind of trolling that West Coast’s Liam Ryan had to endure last week.

“It’s so disappointing,” he said.

“They are talking about his kids. It hits harder to his kids instead of him.

“It’s disappointing to see people comment on stuff like that, but they probably get a kick out of it. It affects people.

“Liam Ryan copped it and I guess it’s just calling people out and trying to educate them.

“When you saw Eddie Betts’ interview last year, you could see it in his face how much it affected him.

“It’s good we have come this far, but we have got a long way to go in stamping it out.”

Lions star’s wild experience in Queensland storms

—Jon Ralph

Brisbane will head to Melbourne early for their Friday night AAMI Community Series contest against the Western Bulldogs to avoid their preparation being totally washed out by the state’s epic floods.

The Herald Sun understands the Lions will fly into Melbourne early on Wednesday after spending the day at home on Monday because of the blocked roads caused by the historic downpour.

Stream every match of every round of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.

Players including Charlie Cameron and Mitch Robinson helped out with neighbours in peril in their local communities, with Robinson on Monday afternoon taking Lions merchandise to a Brisbane evacuation centre.

Robinson cut some laps in his flooded backyard but on Sunday night also helped push a stranded neighbour’s car to higher ground.

Gotta love this from @MitchRobinson05

At 11.30pm last night, Robbo helped a stranded neighbour push her car to higher ground! We hope you're keeping safe out there Brisbane ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GLe8jueTRu

— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) February 28, 2022

Lions players will travel to Melbourne early. Mitch Robinson (middle) helped out a stranded neighbour. Picture: Getty Images

While the Lions have not yet formulated an official response given the floods are yet to peak, players have made donations to charities and worked in their neighbourhoods.

Brisbane’s “rain bomb” has seen more than 400mm of rain falling in three hours in some areas of the state, with the state capital hit hard.

Brisbane was able to play an official scratch match on Friday at Metricon Stadium but the main session last week was washed out and any prospect of using the Gabba to train this week has been dashed.

Players will only Tuesday attempt to get into the Gabba for a weights session before flying out Wednesday.

Lions officials are yet to secure an oval for the main session but will train on Wednesday before a captains run on Thursday, then their only official AAMI Community series game against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night at Mars Stadium.

Always wanted a lap pool! #brisbanefloodpic.twitter.com/inXTn60TOs

— Mitch Robinson (@MitchRobinson05) February 27, 2022

The Lions will have a full dress rehearsal for Round 1 against their finals conqueror, but Dayne Zorko (achilles) is not ready and Keidean Coleman is a close contact spending seven days in isolation.

With the early flight to Melbourne the Lions will have to assess whether he is ready to fly by Wednesday or can fly down later for the contest.

Brisbane takes on Port Adelaide in Round 1 at the Gabba on Saturday March 19.

There’s still doubt to whether the Lions AFLW clash will take place this Sunday in Maroochydore against North Melbourne.

The Maroochydore Oval was the scene of viral footage on the weekend with a teenager filmed swimming across the flooded field.

Originally published as AFL 2022: Charlie Cameron on Brisbane Lions’ prospects for new season