Senior Charlie Cameron (2017-)

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Year to Date: What the Stats Say

Country Roads Lifting Charlie

For a player of his profile, Charlie Cameron is flying under the radar with his impressive form in 2022.

Like his teammate Joe Daniher did in 2021, Cameron has kicked a goal in every game of the season thus far, sitting at 31 majors and 5th in the Coleman Medal race.

Notably, the small forward is currently ranked third for marks on lead and sits sixth for shots on goal, converting at a rate of 58.5%.

What’s caught the eye of Lions fans however is the 27-year-olds pressure, with his tackle average the highest it’s ever been as a Lion.

Sitting ‘above-average’ for tackles and tackles inside 50, Cameron’s ability to lock the ball in the Lions forward half has significantly contributed to their scoreboard dominance in 2022.
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Charlie Moving into the Record Books

Charlie Cameron has moved into the Brisbane Lions Top 10 All-Time goal-kicking list with a blistering performance that was more memorable for the goals he gave away rather than the goals he actually kicked.

Cameron’s equal season-high four-goal blitz against the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba last Thursday night, an early birthday present ahead of his 28th birthday today (5 July), takes his Lions total to 195 and sees him go past Justin Leppitsch (194) and Brad Hardie (192) on the all-time list.

He now sits 10th behind fellow teammate Dayne Zorko and club legends Luke Power and Michael Voss in the rankings over the combined 36-year Bears/Lions journey since 1987.
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Even more impressive than Cameron’s four goals was his career-best five goal assists in the Lions’ 41-point win over the 2021 grand finalists – a performance that ranks equal third-best all-time for the club in a statistical category recorded by the AFL since 2003.

Brown holds the club record at seven goal assists in a 12-point come-from-behind win over Carlton at Marvel Stadium in 2007, when he also kicked three goals.

The only other return better than Cameron’s five was Akermanis’ six goal assists against North Melbourne at the Gabba in 2004, when he also kicked four goals in a 113-point win. Two other Brisbane players have had five goal assists in a game – Simon Black (2005) and Dayne Zorko (2018).
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Three Lions Named in All-Australian Squad

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Benefiting from the work of these two midfielders was exciting forward Charlie Cameron who booted 47 goals for the Lions.

Cameron averaged 2.1 goals per game with his best performance coming in Round16 against the Western Bulldogs where he kicked four goals.
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'He can turn the game on its head': Lions legend backs Cameron

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BRISBANE triple premiership player Darryl White has praised the impact of current Lions forward Charlie Cameron and urged him to lift his tackle count in Friday night's preliminary final against Geelong.

Cameron had just four kicks in Brisbane's semi-final win against Melbourne last week, but all of them were shots on goal, with his return of 3.1 proving pivotal as the Lions kept their season alive.

It took Cameron's season tally to 53 goals from 24 games, which all but matches his output from last season (55 goals in 24 matches) and in 2019 (57 in 24).

The 28-year-old has also nailed 74 tackles year, his best return in five seasons at the Lions but well down on his peak tackling seasons at his former club, Adelaide.

The small forward landed a total of 190 tackles in his last two years at the Crows, in 2016 and 2017, and White has urged Cameron to get back to that tackling form as the season heats up.

"He's one of the blokes who can turn the game on its head," White, a part of Brisbane's treble of premierships at the start of the century, told Yokayi Footy.

"He's in the famous Rioli mode now; you don't need too many touches to be effective. And he definitely showed that at the weekend.

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"His days back in Adelaide, he'd have his six or seven or eight tackles and then goals would come off the back of that.

"I hope he gets back to that defensive side of the game because it's really going to help him out this weekend, and hopefully the weekend after (in a Grand Final)."
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Cameron Proves he is More Than a Goal Kicker

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Missing out on All-Australian honours this year might be the motivation that sees Charlie Cameron unleash in 2023.

The exciting forward was at his damaging best this season to finish sixth in the AFL goal kicking with 54 majors.

Cameron kicked them from everywhere, as he caused plenty of headaches for opposition defenders and coaches.

Equally impressive was the 28-year-old’s work rate inside 50 for the Lions, with Cameron recording 134 score involvements and 20 goal assists.

It was in front of a home crowd at The Gabba in Round 16 that Cameron was at his show-stopping best against the Bulldogs.

In a best-on-ground performance, he slotted in four goals while also bringing his teammates into the action with five goal assists.

Two of those goals and three of the assists came in the third quarter when the game was in the balance, before Cameron’s influence helped the Lions win by 41 points.

A key factor behind the forward’s influence, which often goes unnoticed, is the ferocious tackling Cameron displayed, as he laid 77 tackles – the most recorded in any of his five seasons at the Lions.

His tackling force was best on display against the Gold Coast SUNS in Round 19 when he finished with a notable eight tackles in Brisbane’s QClash win at The Gabba.

What stood out about the games where Cameron registered a high tackle count, is that it didn’t always happen in games where he kicked multiple goals.

For example, in his two matches against St Kilda, Cameron collected his second-best tackle count of six, though only finished with one goal in both games.

It once again highlights the fact Cameron doesn’t need to be damaging on the scoreboard for him to play his role for his side.

It’s a part of the crafty forward’s game that has heaped praise in the past, particularly in his time at Adelaide.

As a Crow he notched up 87 and a career-best 103 tackles respectively across the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

If Cameron can produce a similar season next year, where he kicks 50 or more goals and finds a way to reach a triple figure tackle count – he and the Lions will take some serious stopping.

And it will also go a long way to receiving his second All-Australian blazer.
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Club Statement - Racial Abuse

The Brisbane Lions are shocked and appalled that it too has seen one of its players, Charlie Cameron, subjected to vile, racist remarks directed at him on social media over the weekend.

It’s racism and abuse, and the Club will not stand for it.

Brisbane Lions CEO, Greg Swann, said:

“I’m angry and disappointed that Charlie, and we as a footy Club as well as an industry have to constantly deal with this. I’m bewildered it continues to happen.

“It’s cowardly behaviour, hiding behind social media and abusing and attacking our players.

“We have reported the incident to the AFL Integrity Unit and beyond this statement, we want to take a strong stance against this happening and support any repercussions that the perpetrator may face.”

At the Lions we are a family and when one hurts, we all hurt.

This behaviour was called out by a Lions supporter who saw the remarks on social media and we encourage everyone to continue to call out unacceptable behaviour like this.

If you see something, say something.
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'I'm going alright': Teammates, pressure behind Charlie's purple patch

HE MIGHT be the AFL’s hottest attacking talent but Brisbane livewire Charlie Cameron says it's his defensive efforts that are fuelling his recent scoring spree.

Boasting 17 goals in his last three games, Cameron ranks third in the Coleman Medal race and has helped the Lions turn a 1-2 start around to sit 4-2 and sixth on the ladder.

Working with twin talls Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher, lead-up option Jack Gunston and other smalls Cam Rayner and Lincoln McCarthy, Cameron is reaping the rewards of a beautifully balanced forward line that’s testing defences across the league.

"I'm going alright at the moment, but it comes down to the other players that helped me out and put me in positions as well," Cameron said in the wake of his seven-goal performance in Brisbane's 21-point win over GWS on Saturday.

"We've got a great forward line and anyone can have those days. It was my day on Saturday.

"Joey and Eric had a big bag last week against North Melbourne.

"As a small forward you don't really get as much opportunity as the key forwards, but I'm just trying to make the most of it.”

Cameron echoed coach Chris Fagan’s post-game assessment of his form, saying impacting the opposition defence with pressure brought the best out of him.

"I'm trying to rely on defensive pressure from tackling and putting pressure on my defender," Cameron said.

"That gets me into the game and I'm looking for opportunities to get turnovers and trying to hurt them on the way back through.

"One thing I have in my kit bag is I'm pretty quick ... hopefully I'll stay quick in a couple of years.

"I'm making the most of my opportunities and getting myself in some good spots to get some shots on goal."

Gunston's addition to the forward mix is still taking shape but the three-time premiership player is drawing attention away from the other Brisbane stars.

He has slotted seven goals in five games, quickly finding his feet in a new city after more than a decade at Hawthorn.

"His quality is his leadership, he's from a quality side ... he played unreal footy at Hawthorn," Cameron said.

"Having him to learn from, a different player to what we have as our talls at the moment, he's a lead-up player, he's crafty.

"For me and our other talls, we can just learn off him and get some good advice."
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Nine things we learned: Is there anything this Rising Star can't do?

4) Don't forget Charlie in the small forward debate

After Tom Papley starred for Sydney with six goals last week, Charlie Cameron reminded everyone that he is still one of the best - if not the best - small forward in the competition. The livewire kicked a personal-best seven goals at Manuka Oval on Saturday, with Greater Western Sydney simply having no answer for his agility and intelligence. While the focus is on the likes of Joe Daniher, Eric Hipwood and Jack Gunston in the air for the Lions, it is Cameron who can totally break a game open on the deck. Half-chances for other players are genuine opportunities for the Lions star, and that is what makes him so difficult to defend. While a lot of focus has been on the likes of Papley, Izak Rankine and Kozzy Pickett this season, it's worth noting Charlie has 20 goals for the season after six rounds, behind only Jeremy Cameron and Charlie Curnow in the race for the Coleman Medal. - Gemma Bastiani
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The Seven Who've Kicked Seven

The Brisbane Lions defied the statistical odds in extraordinary fashion to win in Canberra on Saturday as Charlie Cameron wrote himself into the record books in the national capital.

Cameron’s career-best seven goals equalled the record at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, set by St.Kilda’s Stewart Loewe 56 games ago in May 2001.

The Lions excitement machine had two kickable chances to beat the record late in the game but missed one and hit the post with the other to finish with 7-2 from 15 possessions and 12 score involvements.

In his 109th game for the Lions Cameron became just the 18th player among 345 Brisbane players all-time to kick seven or more goals.
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From hunted to hunter: The livewire Lion making defenders sweat

CHARLIE Cameron is already the most dangerous attacking small forward in the AFL, and now the Brisbane dynamo is building a case as one of most feared defensively in his position.

Cameron has got off to a blistering start to 2023, kicking 26 goals through eight rounds to trail only Jeremy Cameron (33) and Charlie Curnow (31) in the race for the Coleman Medal.

But it's his work without the ball that is drawing just as many plaudits from his teammates and Lions' coaching staff.

Cameron has laid 17 tackles inside forward 50 this year – more than any player in the competition.

But his impact doesn't stop there. It's the constant pressure and harassment from the 28-year-old, a part of his game that has steadily improved over the past two years, that is so eye-catching.

He is making defenders nervous when they have the ball.

Early in the second quarter against Carlton last Friday night, Cameron wrapped up Brodie Kemp in the back pocket, forcing a hurried handball that hit the ground.

When Jack Silvagni scooped it up, who was there to pounce on him? Cameron. And the resulting tackle and holding-the-ball decision led to an easy around-the-corner finish for the livewire.

The week before it was Ethan Hughes from Fremantle he pinned, forcing the ball loose for Zac Bailey to waltz into an open goal.

Brisbane forward line coach Murray Davis said that part of Cameron's game is indicative of his willingness to improve his total repertoire.

He said having the 2019 All-Australian so desperate to defend was infectious.

"It creates great energy for his teammates," Davis told AFL.com.au.

"They know he could be a good goalkicker, but they see his hunger to buy in to that sort of stuff.

"It's something we talk about in-game.

"He'll regularly check in – he's not asking how many goals he's kicked, he's asking how many tackles he's laid.

"He's keen to know how he's tracking … it's at the front of his mind. Whether it be forward 50 tackles or pressure acts, it's certainly front of mind."

Statistics provided by Champion Data show Cameron's impact defensively.

He averages 8.2 pressure acts and 18.6 pressure points a game in the forward 50 – both ranked in the top six in the competition.

He’s forced 12 turnovers in the forward 50 to be top 10 in the competition.

And finally, the Lions have scored 27 points from Cameron's turnovers, which is the third-most points from any player's forced turnovers in the League.

Davis is new to the forward-line coaching role, having swapped from defence with Jed Adcock in the off-season, and said his first chat with Cameron told him everything he needed to know about his willingness to improve.

"One thing I wanted to bring to the conversation with Charlie is: 'What are you asking of your opponent or opposition?'

"What I was alluding to with Charlie is, you have to give opposition different looks. You can't just play out of the goalsquare and be a terrific inside-50 player.

"He really bought into that.

"He can get up the ground and get back and pressure. He's not just a stay at home and pressure player.

"I've seen a player that can play deep, but can also go up the ground, apply pressure and he has the workrate to get back and help out."

Cameron doesn't yet have a reputation as a great defender – perhaps we're all too enamoured with his attacking genius, post-goal celebrations and John Denver singalongs at the Gabba – but sooner rather than later, he should.
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AIC Hall of Fame Adds Two of Our Own

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Lions pair Harris Andrews and Charlie Cameron enjoyed a trip down memory lane over the bye weekend, all the way back to their school days.

The pair were among 25 inaugural inductees to the Hall of Fame of the Associated Independent Colleges, celebrating 25 years after being founded in 1998 as an athletic association for male secondary athletes.

Andrews was recognised for his exploits at Padua College in Kedron, and Cameron likewise for his time at Marist College Ashgrove.

Andrews finished at Padua in 2014, having represented the school in the Independent Schools Cup in football and been a member of their premiership-winning First V basketball team.

Cameron was a boarder at Marist, graduating in 2011 after playing in the original independent schools competition.

It is not the first time the pair have been linked via their schools, with Padua and Marist having played for the Andrews-Cameron Cup whenever they meet in the AIC First XVIII competition since 2021.

Fellow Queenslander Brendan Whitecross, who played 111 AFL games in an injury-plagued career at Hawthorn, was also inducted into the AIC Hall of Fame in recognition of his sporting exploits at St.Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe.
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