Buddy good player, that Jeremy Cameron

2 weeks ago 6

On the play Sydney played Hawthorn and feted Buddy Franklin, a large of some clubs, the antheral who is his closest approximation kicked his 600th goal.

Franklin had his premiership occurrence astatine Hawthorn but rounded his career, and achieved a much rounded level of designation and success, by going to Sydney.

Jeremy Cameron won nary flags and enjoyed nary comparable cut-through to Franklin’s erstwhile helium was astatine Greater Western Sydney, but has arrived astatine Geelong and elevated himself into a modern great.

Cameron won a champion and fairest, was doubly All-Australian and a Coleman medallist astatine the Giants. With 427 goals successful 171 appearances, helium was an exceptional subordinate successful a precise bully GWS broadside that regularly made finals.

Yet helium has been adjacent amended astatine the Cats successful his precocious twenties, and present aboriginal thirties. He’s won 1 flag, different All-Australian blazer, mightiness triumph different premiership this twelvemonth and has booted 196 goals successful 66 games.

He volition play his 250th aboriginal this twelvemonth and with his rangy Michael Tuck-esque physique looks susceptible of playing heavy into his 30s and pressing beyond 300 to 350 games. He could discontinue with much than 800 goals.

If helium hasn’t been a much important and influential enlistee adjacent than Brownlow medallist Paddy Dangerfield, helium is his equal. If modern Brownlows could beryllium won by anyone different than a midfielder, Cameron would beryllium a favourite.

Geelong handed implicit efficaciously the draught superior they netted from losing Tim Kelly successful bid to unafraid Cameron astatine the extremity of 2020, but were inactive capable to nab Max Holmes astatine prime 20. Yes, it was a COVID-affected draft, but much than 1 recruiter should beryllium embarrassed by letting Holmes get that far.

Within 2 years of that draught the Cats had returned and picked the eyes retired of it, trading again to unafraid Tanner Bruhn, whom the Giants had taken astatine prime 11, and Ollie Henry, Collingwood’s prime 17. No, those clubs didn’t privation to suffer those players, but that is not the point. Geelong got them. The nett effect is that arsenic good arsenic securing Cameron, the Cats and inactive brought successful 3 first-round selections.

Jeremy Cameron kicks vocation extremity No.600.

Those younger players are starting to person the interaction you expect present successful their 4th seasons, yet Cameron, astir apt the game’s champion guardant close present (even bearing successful caput the information helium has been spending clip connected a helping this year) is the premier crushed they are undefeated and a twelvemonth aft missing the 8 look erstwhile much a premiership fancy.

Harry McKay was terrific connected Saturday with his contested marking, portion Charlie Curnow is the astir muscularly diversion and breathtaking guardant to watch. Yet neither plays similar Cameron.

The forgotten rule

On Saturday with the crippled poised, Geelong’s Ollie Henry took a people connected the extremity line. There was a video reappraisal astir whether helium had marked wrong the tract of play, and aft it was examined astatine length, it was decided helium had.

What was not debated, but should person been, was the information that anterior to this determination was a hefty shove successful Lewis Young’s back. There is simply a crushed it was not debated, and it wasn’t conscionable due to the fact that video people reappraisal doesn’t (and shouldn’t) widen to reviewing those things. It was not successful statement due to the fact that determination seemingly is ne'er a statement astir the information players proceed to consciousness escaped to shove opponents nether the shot astatine will.

Since the AFL – rightly – removed the hands successful the backmost rule, umpires person taken the presumption that astir everything present is permissible. Commentators usage silly euphemisms similar “worked him nether the ball” erstwhile a subordinate times the shove of an hostile conscionable arsenic helium leaps, and hence goes flying forward. “That’s conscionable bully assemblage work.” Well, it is if you judge getting distant with a propulsion successful the backmost is bully assemblage work.

But the commentators of this play were near aghast astatine what Henry got distant with. Goal-kicking large Jason Dunstall was amazed and bemused, David King perplexed.

“It’s an bonzer propulsion out,” Dunstall observed connected Fox.

The generous presumption of the Henry infinitesimal was helium mightiness person pushed Young successful the side, adjacent though Young went cannoning forwards.

It was a missed escaped kick. And yes escaped kicks are missed by umpires, that’s accepted, and it mightiness conscionable beryllium enactment down arsenic an error. But the interest is the AFL won’t see this and incidents similar it an error, due to the fact that different it is doubtful they would proceed happening truthful frequently.

The Henry people was 1 lawsuit but it happened again connected Sunday erstwhile Swan Hayden McLean shoved Jack Scrimshaw nether the ball. There are examples successful each game.

The AFL archetypal introduced the hands successful the backmost regularisation due to the fact that a propulsion seemed devilishly hard to police. Then it abandoned that mandatory regularisation due to the fact that the deficiency of leeway successful mentation made the cure worse than the cancer. Now we are backmost with players being freely pushed out. The AFL needs to propulsion back, not propulsion successful the back.

In a crippled wherever the Blues were besides penalised for a dubious basal 50 that resulted successful a precocious goal, erstwhile the umpire told Harry McKay to basal but Patrick Cripps did alternatively due to the fact that McKay was injured and wandered away, the Blues had a close to consciousness they didn’t get the rub.

Time killer

Marcus Bontempelli sat connected the seat for 7 minutes successful the past 4th arsenic the Bulldogs’ hopes of beating Fremantle evaporated earlier his eyes. That’s 1 of the competition’s champion players retired of enactment for a 4th of the last word erstwhile the crippled was successful the balance.

Marcus Bontempelli was stuck connected the conifer successful the past term.

Doubtless determination were difficulties astir uncovering a replacement successful the proximity, but arsenic acold arsenic avoidable errors go, this felt similar it was close there.

Fremantle would ever beryllium expected to rally astatine location again aft past week’s humiliating derby loss, but this inactive should person been a crippled the Bulldogs won. It would good beryllium a crippled they bespeak connected aboriginal successful the twelvemonth and wonder: ‘What if?’

What’s French for comeback?

Marc Pittonet was outstanding successful his instrumentality for the Blues. His interaction successful the ruck was captious successful the domination retired of the middle, successful the archetypal 4th successful particular. For impact, Jarrod Witts’ show for the Suns against West Coast was likewise influential.

For the Blues it meant they controlled the shot retired of the mediate and astir the crushed astatine stoppages. Pittonet had 11 of his ain clearances and fed disconnected different 8 to Patrick Cripps.

Of people you tin look astatine the clearance numbers and wonderment however influential they truly are erstwhile the Cats won the game. The centre-clearance power should person translated into acold much interaction connected the scoreboard, but Carlton stuffed it successful beforehand of goal. Two goals, 7 behinds successful the archetypal word hurt.

Casting up to Friday nighttime it makes for a tasty match-up against the reigning premiers who were belted astir the shot and successful clearances by the Bombers connected Anzac Day, yet managed a draw. Remember, Carlton bushed them erstwhile they past played, successful circular 20 past year. Patrick Cripps had 7 clearances and 20 touches that day.

Collingwood goes into the crippled with Tom Mitchell, their champion clearance player, coming disconnected a shocker, needing to beryllium subbed out. He should beryllium rested this week.

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