How his family and home town have kept Leon Cameron grounded as he prepares to chase history

It’s a long way from a teenager playing against men for South Warrnambool to coaching a team in an AFL Grand Final, butLeon Cameron has never forgotten where he has come from.

Leon Cameron has never forgotten where he has come from.

Ask anyone who knows the Greater Western Sydney coach and that’s the thing that stands out about the quietly-spoken, but fiercely determined, 47-year-old.

He’s intensely proud to have come from Warrnambool, and gets back there as often as time permits.

He’s loyal to his friends and ex-coaches, many of whom helped him on the journey from a skinny teenager playing against men for South Warrnambool to the cusp of AFL glory this Saturday.

But the thing that defines him is his connection to his family, and the challenges they have overcome.

He and his wife, “Caz” (Carolyn), have three children — Amelia, 14, Harry, 13, and Jack, 7.

Cameron took them back to Warrnambool not that long ago to provide a snapshot of his upbringing, even showing them the route he used to ride as a paperboy earning pocket money.

His connection to his mum, Annette, remains exceptionally close. She made numerous sacrifices as a single parent bringing up Leon and his siblings — older brothers Graham and Anthony, and sister, Nicole — and worked to ensure she gave her kids every possible opportunity.

“They are a really close family,” former teammate and close friend Luke Darcy told the Herald Sun.

“His mum is one of the most beautiful people you would ever meet. Annette is a superstar, and so is his Aunty Jan, and the other members of his family.

“They are as connected as a family as you would ever meet.

“He just has great balance in his life. Caz and the kids are an incredible support for him.”

KID FROM THE BUSH

Former Fitzroy and Richmond footballer Noel Mugavin saw something special in the teenager when he arrived at South Warrnambool to play in the tough Hampden league in the late 1980s.

“He and his good school mate came to the club when we had a pretty good side,” Mugavin said. “We couldn't play two of them in the seniors in the first week, so we played his mate and Leon played reserves.

“But he played so well we put him straight up to the seniors.

“It was down at Cobden. He did a couple of really good things and the bloke I was playing on said, ‘By God, this bloke can play!’. I said, ‘He is going to go places’.”

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Leon Cameron in action for the Bulldogs in 1996.

That belief grew when Cameron was under an injury cloud ahead of a grand final against Warrnambool.

“He was only 15 or 16, and he pulled his thigh muscle the week before the game. We gave him a bit of a fitness test and he kicked on his left foot and kept putting them through the goals. He said to us, ‘I don't have to kick on my right footy, my left foot is just as good’.”

That wasn’t arrogance, it was a belief in his own ability, and a resilience to overcome the hurdle.

South Warrnambool lost the game, but, according to Mugavin, Cameron kicked four goals, all on his supposedly non-preferred left foot.

BULLIES AND TIGERS

Having been drafted to the Bulldogs at pick 7 in 1988, Cameron went on to play 172 games with the club from 1990-99.

He won the 1993 Charlie Sutton Medal, establishing himself as one of the club's best players.

“He was an absolute star,” Darcy said. “His kicking ability was probably better than anyone I played with. He was that tall, athletic, overhead-marking midfielder who saw the game in a way no one else I played with did.

“You could see back them what an amazing person he was at developing relationships — no matter where you came from or what your background was.

“He was flying when he copped a quad injury, which was probably the catalyst behind him changing clubs.”

He transferred to Richmond in 2000 and in defence played a role in helping Danny Frawley lift the Tigers to the 2001 preliminary final.

Leon Cameron was also a star at Richmond.

Former Tiger Joel Bowden said Cameron brought a host of fresh ideas and football knowledge to Punt Rd.

“He brought a fresh set of eyes from within the industry to the club at a time we needed it,” Bowden said.

“He wasn't fast … but I can't ever remember him getting done for holding the ball.

“He always found himself in the right spot at the right time making the right decisions. Maybe that's how he coaches his players now.”

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Bowden noted Cameron’s impact on the Tigers was such he had just as many Richmond players as Bulldogs at his wedding to Caz.

Darcy remembers another wedding with a smile — his own — where Cameron’s sense of humour came to the fore.

“He drifted in 21st (birthday) territory at one stage and my late beautiful grandmother, Nanna Darce, was not as amused as my teammates.”

THE COACH

Cameron faced a few pitfalls in his quest to become a senior AFL coach, and more along the way at the Giants.

He was Bulldogs’ assistant coach for seven seasons, and was shattered when overlooked as senior coach for Brendan McCartney in 2012.

“Missing out on the Bulldogs was a blow for him,” Darcy recalled. “He took that pretty personally.”

A move to Hawthorn under Alastair Clarkson for two seasons capped off his development — and opened doors.

Leon Cameron calls the shots at GWS. Picture: Phil Hillyard

In the days after Hawthorn lost the 2012 Grand Final, Cameron had senior coaching interviews with Port Adelaide and GWS.

Most thought he would settle on the Power role. Instead, he agreed to become Kevin Sheedy's senior assistant at the Giants for a season before taking over in 2014.

“It was a pretty brave decision at the time,” Darcy said.

Three finals series in a row came from 2016 to 2018 before this year's Grand Final breakthrough.

It hasn’t come easily in 2019, with injuries to key players as well as some pointed criticism that he wasn't getting enough out of the Giants’ talent.

“He was the one who was under the pump at stages, but he always backed us,” Heath Shaw said.

“He has played a huge role in keeping this group galvanised … he’s always been our No. 1 ticketholder in belief.”