Stinging criticism made Cameron Pedersen work harder

SOME people respond to an old fashioned bake and Melbourne veteran Cameron Pedersen is one of them. But there was one particular spray earlier this year that was the tipping point.

Melbourne veteran Cameron Pedersen.

SOME people respond to a good, old fashioned bake.

Melbourne veteran Cameron Pedersen is one of them.

And in a career that has spanned seven seasons for just 66 games, he’s copped a few.

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He remembers Todd Viney giving him a blast after his debut season at Melbourne in 2013.

“Viney gave me a pretty big bake about how disappointed he was,” Pedersen said.

“How they’d got me to the club and I hadn’t repaid them the way I should have.”

Demons’ coach Simon Goodwin unleashed before this season when Pedersen was carrying too much weight.

“He pretty much said I was being a bad teammate because I couldn’t fulfil the position they’d kept me at the club (for) and not someone else that was de-listed,” he said.

“(He) said you won’t put a jumper on for AFL or VFL until you’re under a certain weight and if that takes you six months or if it takes you three weeks, we’re here to help you. Don’t think we’re casting you aside, but you have to prove to us you want to be here.”

Cameron Pedersen lost 10kg after he was told he was carrying too much weight. Picture: Getty Images

Pedersen lost 10kg in five weeks.

He did six extra training sessions a week and cut back on food: a two-egg omelette for breakfast, 150 gram of meat and broccoli for lunch and the same for dinner.

“They said the way you’ve got to lose weight, you’ve got to wake up hungry and go to bed hungry, so just do that,” Pedersen said.

“I wanted to show I was committed and I obviously got the weight off.”

But it was a spray from Melbourne player/coach performance manager Brendan McCartney after Round 1 of the VFL that was the tipping point.

Pedersen had played for Casey against Williamstown and was pretty happy with his 29-touch game.

“Brendan McCartney sat me down and said it was a terrible game,” he said.

“I was a bit taken aback. I said ‘but I’ve had 29?. He said ‘but you didn’t play the way that we wanted’

“The other ruckman was probably bullying our mids and putting more physical pressure on and I was running around and getting possessions. He explained that to me and showed me clips.

“The next week I changed my game. I think I kicked a couple of goals but I only had 15 possessions but 10 tackles.

“He and Goodwin said that had probably been the best game they’d seen me play because that’s the way they want me to play.

“That’s the game that got me back into the AFL and since then I’ve tried to keep that mantra, it’s not about getting possessions, it’s what I can do following up, making a contest, things like that.”

The 30-year-old made his debut at North Melbourne as a 24-year-old and had an impressive season, playing 14 games and winning the Kangaroos best first year player award.

But after just two games in his second season he sought the move to the Demons, seeking more opportunity.

Cam Pedersen has grabbed his opportunity with both hands since being recalled by the Demons. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

He’s struggled for consistency but has been a revelation for the Demons since getting his chance this season.

“I’ve always been that players that’s kind of on the edge,” Pedersen said.

“When I’m playing well, everyone’s happy but when I play one poor game, I tend to be one of the one or two that gets pushed out straight away.

“It’s been a little bit hard, but I guess it makes you work a lot harder because you want to sustain it.”

Pedersen is studying a masters of education and has three daughters (Charlee, 6, Ruby ,4, and Lucy, 20 months) with wife Sarah, all which keep the ups and downs of an AFL career in perspective.

Since returning to the Melbourne side in Round 6 Pedersen hasn’t looked back and he doesn’t intend to.

“People tend to think when I start playing well I get a bit comfortable and drop off, so that’s probably why you’ve seen I might play four or five games and then not play a few games and then comeback, it’s like a big spike up and down,” he said.

“Hopefully this year I can just continue to do the things that have been drilled into me and that will keep me playing well.”