How good was.....Leon Cameron?

[Dry Rot]

Yes, I know, BOO! HISS!

Giant's coach, secret father of Toby Greene, Lost Dogs poster....

I only remember him in strange black and yellow colours. Why did he leave us, by the way?

But sometime back in the past he was a Dogs player, and from what I have read, a pretty silky, skilful, well regarded one.

So what was Cameron like as Dog? And what current day player is most similar to him?

[Twodogs]

Why did he leave us, by the way?

He missed out on the senior job to Bevo.

As to what sort of player he was. Do you remember Nathan Buckley? A bit like him, brilliant off both feet. As gutsy as anything, rarely missed a target, always seemed to find time and space and intense.

[Dry Rot]

Thanks. I certainly remember Bucks.

Was Cameron a mid? If so, inside or outside or both?

[Dry Rot]

He missed out on the senior job to Bevo.



And went to play for the Tigers? I am missing something here.

[Twodogs]

Thanks. I certainly remember Bucks.

Was Cameron a mid? If so, inside or outside or both?

He was more along the lines of what we called at the time a ruck-rover. A rover was a small guy like Libba who the ruckman would direct the ball towards at centre bounces and ball ups around the ground and throw ins and ruckmen were pretty much the same as they are now. Ruck-rovers were bigger, stronger versions of rovers who would block opposition players to let the the rover have better reign at the ball if they couldn't get to it themselves.

Usually at centre bounces the classic set up would be the ruckman, ruck-rover, rover and the centreman (like Scott West) with the wingmen standing on each side of the centre square ready for the ball to squeeze out sideways.

[Dry Rot]

He was more along the lines of what we called at the time a ruck-rover. A rover was a small guy like Libba who the ruckman would direct the ball towards at centre bounces and ball ups around the ground and throw ins and ruckmen were pretty much the same as they are now. Ruck-rovers were bigger, stronger versions of rovers who would block opposition players to let the the rover have better reign at the ball if they couldn't get to it themselves.

Usually at centre bounces the classic set up would be the ruckman, ruck-rover, rover and the centreman (like Scott West) with the wingmen standing on each side of the centre square ready for the ball to squeeze out sideways.

OK, ruck rovers sound more like inside than outside to me. But from what I have read, everyone bangs on about Cameron's silky skills?

[Twodogs]

And went to play for the Tigers? I am missing something here.

We wanted draft picks to get young kids and freshen up the list and Leon was coming to the end of his career but still had enough cachet to get us a couple of decent picks. It turned out pretty well for both of us. He played good footy at Richmond and we picked up Ryan Hargrave and Mitch Hahn with the picks (37 and 66 from memory) we got for him. One of the few win/win trades.

You have to speculate to accumulate although I thought we'd been a bit silly at the time.

[bornadog]

OK, ruck rovers sound more like inside than outside to me. But from what I have read, everyone bangs on about Cameron's silky skills?

Great silky skills, classic wingman type, he was brilliant with both legs. Sometimes you could have sworn he was a left footer.

[Dry Rot]

Great silky skills, classic wingman type, he was brilliant with both legs. Sometimes you could have sworn he was a left footer.

Thanks. Equivalent current day player?

[bornadog]

Thanks. Equivalent current day player?

Not sure DR, have to think about that one

[Twodogs]

Thanks. Equivalent current day player?

A bigger, stronger version of Lachy Hunter or Dangerfield but less of a dickhead.

[Dry Rot]

A bigger, stronger version of Dangerfield.

That's impressive.

Totally off thread, I love watching Dusty Martin. What past players were like him, or is a one off?

[jeemak]

A bigger, stronger version of Lachy Hunter or Dangerfield but less of a dickhead.

I don't remember Cameron being like Dangerfield.

[chef]

Thanks. Equivalent current day player?
Bit like Isaac Smith but better and able to kick both sides.

[bornadog]

Bit like Isaac Smith but better and able to kick both sides.

Yes a good comparison

[Mofra]

I still think of him as a HB distributer when I think of him as a player, perhaps I'm swayed by his early days. He had amazing skills on both feet but was a bit slight his whole career. Didn't mind a drink by all accounts which hastened his exit from the dogs.

[Rocket Science]

Gun. A joy to watch and one of my all time faves in our colours.

Gave us a bit of silk on teams that had a healthy ratio of meat and potatoes types. Superbly skilled, debonair touch by foot and could kick it a mile, accurately, which made him particularly damaging off half-back. Balanced, effortless mover, rangy wingman's frame but unafraid, just had a way of emerging from tangles with ball in hand and then you were away. Loved a bounce. Combine that with a healthy dose of natural attacking flair and when he got the footy it usually meant good things.

If the metres-gained stat was a thing in Leon's era he'd be right up there, textbook line-breaker, so many fond memories of him collecting off half-back then loping away to send us deep forward. Extremely clever user, could see options and switch the flow of play with a bold kick, a bit like Suckling can but without telegraphing it like Suckers often does with his stop, prop, 'round the corner 1-wood wind-up ... Leon could do it in full stride off either foot.

Reckon our forwards would've been as excited to see Leon steaming down the wing as we supporters were, your could hear the crowd go quickly from simmer to full boil when he went on his runs because you knew Granty or Del-Re or anyone clever enough to get free was going to be lining up for a shot shortly thereafter.

Jeez, can you tell I loved watching him play?

Quit those pricks Leon and come back home you bastard.

[Rocket Science]

PS: this footage is terrible quality, and only features a few snapped goals rather than his sublime work through the middle, but it's a taste nonetheless.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPHd_xAY-Js

PPS: Long sleeves. What the bloody hell more do you want?

[The Pie Man]

Remember him taking long set shots on the left - he was as gifted on the wrong side as any player.

Didn't he lose out on our coaching gig to BMac?

[Axe Man]

This is a good article about Cameron, written in August 2011 as we were searching for Rocket's replacement. Explains his departure as a player and again as an assistant coach.

The pick of the litter (https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/the-pick-of-the-litter-20110827-1jfvn.html)

Leon Cameron looks to be a ready-made Bulldogs coach.

LEON Cameron was showing signs he had coaching characteristics in his DNA even before he played his first AFL match. Chewing over a serious football conundrum at the age of 15, little Leon — and he was very little, despite the fact he had already played in South Warrnambool's senior grand final — sought expert counsel. Upon considering what he heard, he ignored it and went his own way.

Geographically, that was a move from Warrnambool to Melbourne to play with Footscray, which drafted him in 1988. Professionally, it started a fine career and now has him poised to be a senior coach.

Relocating at such a young age wasn't what one of Cameron's earliest football mentors, Alan Thompson, the former Fitzroy footballer and junior development manager in Warrnambool, had recommended to the kid who moved with his mother and three siblings from Camarut to Warrnambool after his parents separated. Annette presided over the single-parent household, and from a young age Leon, with two older brothers and a younger sister, clearly carried a sense of responsibility.

"I can recollect that time very vividly — him sitting in my lounge room as a tiny little player, a young boy, seeking some advice," said Thompson, who still works with young footballers.

"He was a bit unsure, and it was challenging to leave his mum. Most boys at that time would have just jumped full bore ahead into it, but he wanted to know the pros and cons.

"I reckon he would have consulted with teachers, he would have consulted with South Warrnambool footy club people and certainly his mum. I might have said, 'Leon, you're very young, you've only ever lived in the country so just be a bit cautious.' He didn't listen, which is fabulous!"

Terry Wallace met Cameron as soon as he arrived in the big league. Initially they were teammates. Later, Wallace would be Cameron's coach. Later still, Wallace would oversee the trading of the popular clubman and best and fairest Bulldog. It was a decision that cut deep at the kennel in 1999, but might ultimately have set Cameron on the path to being a senior AFL coach in waiting — and quite possibly the next coach of his old club.

Cameron might have been uncertain as he questioned his football mentors at home, but the teenager Wallace met at Footscray seemed instantly comfortable in his new home.

"First training session you knew who he was and what he was about. He was straight into the nicknames, so it was 'g'day Plough, g'day Wally, g'day Choco'. Other kids at his stage were more 'yes Terry, yes Steven, yes Brian', but that's not Leon's way. But he always understood footy. Some blokes play it naturally but don't understand it. He always had a really good understanding of the game."

A fixture of the Dogs' teams through the '90s, Cameron was an elegant player so beautifully skilled that he caused many a debate about whether he was a natural left or right footer.

Wallace loved Cameron's sporting attributes, but as years passed the coach became fed up with a talent spreading himself too thin — an observation with fresh relevance given no AFL coach can afford to be anything less than obsessed with the game. In those days, entrepreneur Cameron had not one, but half-a-dozen business interests cooking at one time, a memorabilia venture with his good friend and ex-teammate Anthony Darcy among them. Wallace's decision to cut Cameron upset the apple cart internally, but a tipping point had been reached.

"We had a belief at the time that he had totally lost focus on footy being the No. 1 priority," Wallace reflected last week.

"He got to a stage in his life where he got involved in everything: promotional posters — the Lockett record-breaking goals milestone, the last game at the Western Oval; he was doing, I would say, six or seven different things outside the game.

"He started playing reserve games of footy, was in and out of the side, and was off the bench. And we didn't think that had anything to do with his footy talent, it was to do with the off-field business dealings.

"While the change was painful at the time, Wallace does not believe Cameron would be where he is now had it not been ordered.

"He was a key part of our club . . . but I don't think he thought that the club would ever bite the bullet. So I think the move, as it so often is with players, was a wake-up call for him . . . and it was at Richmond that he became that quarterback, the organiser of the back line. He had that capability with us, but he just lost his way," he said.

"Then all of a sudden you saw a bloke who was completely focused on his footy again."

Former Tiger captain Wayne Campbell played Teal Cup with Cameron and, reunited at Richmond, the pair hit it off to the extent that their 30th birthdays became a joint celebration.

Campbell prefaced his comments about Cameron last week with an important rider — "I'm his friend". But along with the favourable character reference, he described a football brain he considers to be "on a higher plane of thinking on tactics".

"I was in the coaches' box with him at the Bulldogs for a year and he's brilliant. Brilliant," Campbell, now an assistant coach at Richmond, said. "He worked really well with Rodney [Eade], and just had a handle on the whole thing. Rob Murphy would probably tell you about the day he sat up there and was just blown away by the way he could read the game.

"When he became the main assistant, in '08, he dropped everything and said, 'Right, footy's going to be my go.' He was serious about it beforehand but he became ultra-serious then.

"It's really hard to tell whether an assistant coach can be a senior coach, but he's as ready as any assistant coach I've ever seen."

One well-credentialled football figure keeping a particularly keen eye on the Dogs' appointment process told The Sunday Age that the only member of the club's five-man coach selection subcommittee Cameron has to convince to win the job is the clear outsider of the bunch — Tom Harley. The comment was made only half in jest.

The other members of the panel — Bulldogs CEO Simon Garlick and Chris Grant, both ex-teammates and friends; Dogs' football manager James Fantasia and board member Geoff Walsh — encouraged Cameron, in some form, that leaving the senior assistant coach's job at Whitten Oval 12 months ago would boost his case to be a head coach later.

The Dogs are now considering recruiting Cameron for a third time earlier than they might have expected. The clear message out of Hawthorn, which he joined this year — everyone from Alastair Clarkson to Lance Franklin has pushed it in recent days — is that he is ripe for the picking.

Even the strategic mind that conducted critical early football research on a couch in Warrnambool surely wouldn't need long to assess the pros and cons of that.

[Axe Man]

I don't remember Cameron being like Dangerfield.

Because he was nothing like Dangerfield. Dangerfield relies on power and acceleration and is an average kick of the footy. Leon was more like Bob Murphy, a smooth mover and as others have said was an exceptional kick on either foot.

[bornadog]

PS: this footage is terrible quality, and only features a few snapped goals rather than his sublime work through the middle, but it's a taste nonetheless.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPHd_xAY-Js

PPS: Long sleeves. What the bloody hell more do you want?

Knocked on by Beveridge, Cameron picks it up.....goal

[bornadog]

I wonder what would have happened if we appointed Cameron instead of Macca - would Bevo have made his way to the club?

[Twodogs]

I don't remember Cameron being like Dangerfield.

Just an opinion. Having slept on it you are right


Because he was nothing like Dangerfield. Dangerfield relies on power and acceleration and is an average kick of the footy. Leon was more like Bob Murphy, a smooth mover and as others have said was an exceptional kick on either foot.

That's a better comparison.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

I've got a tape somewhere of Leon making his debut against the Sydney Swans round 2 1990 as a 17 year old. That was a pivotal win as i think it was our first in Sydney. Begun his career playing off the wing initially and then ruck roving/flanker. I've never seen anyone kick the ball so smoothly off both feet. Although very lean i don't recall him being cleaned up. Evasive. As time went on his hamstrings caused him to miss games.

[Sedat]

I wonder what would have happened if we appointed Cameron instead of Macca - would Bevo have made his way to the club?
Brendan McCartney was, to use Paul Keating parlance, the recession we had to have

[Twodogs]

Brendan McCartney was, to use Paul Keating parlance, the recession we had to have

Very good.

[Remi Moses]

Tremendous talent
Soft tissue injuries hampered him often and I think he would have had an even better career .
Does anything think he may coach the club one day ?
Did the Griffen poaching hinder in any chance he may have in the future ?

[GVGjr]

Tremendous talent
Soft tissue injuries hampered him often and I think he would have had an even better career .
Does anything think he may coach the club one day ?
Did the Griffen poaching hinder in any chance he may have in the future ?

Good question Remi, I doubt the Griffen trade reflects on Cameron in anyway.
If our coaching position became available he would be judged on his ability to make the team better

[soupman]

Gun. A joy to watch and one of my all time faves in our colours.

Gave us a bit of silk on teams that had a healthy ratio of meat and potatoes types. Superbly skilled, debonair touch by foot and could kick it a mile, accurately, which made him particularly damaging off half-back. Balanced, effortless mover, rangy wingman's frame but unafraid, just had a way of emerging from tangles with ball in hand and then you were away. Loved a bounce. Combine that with a healthy dose of natural attacking flair and when he got the footy it usually meant good things.

If the metres-gained stat was a thing in Leon's era he'd be right up there, textbook line-breaker, so many fond memories of him collecting off half-back then loping away to send us deep forward. Extremely clever user, could see options and switch the flow of play with a bold kick, a bit like Suckling can but without telegraphing it like Suckers often does with his stop, prop, 'round the corner 1-wood wind-up ... Leon could do it in full stride off either foot.

Reckon our forwards would've been as excited to see Leon steaming down the wing as we supporters were, your could hear the crowd go quickly from simmer to full boil when he went on his runs because you knew Granty or Del-Re or anyone clever enough to get free was going to be lining up for a shot shortly thereafter.

Jeez, can you tell I loved watching him play?

Quit those pricks Leon and come back home you bastard.

Seems to share a lot of similiarities with Ryan Griffen, especially pre McCartney. Is that at all a reasonable comaparism?

[jeemak]

Seems to share a lot of similiarities with Ryan Griffen, especially pre McCartney. Is that at all a reasonable comaparism?

Griff was a lot more of a burst player who was a little bit more one-sided. Cameron was more of a cruiser who still could turn on the jets if needed, but was fluent on both sides of the body to the point of almost seamlessness.

[Torpedo]

Classic old style wingman/half back. Beautiful kick on both sides, due to IIRC to a broken leg as a junior and learning to kick with his non favoured side. So much so that I could never work out whether he was a natural left or right footer.

Scratching my head over he was like and I came up with Keith Greig, Robbie Flower and strangely enough the often underrated Ryan Hargrave - all of whom were able to mark, had lovely long kicks and liked a gallop when possible.

When he was in his prime he was as good a player as I've seen in that position. Had a bad injury in 92 but came back to win the Charlie Sutton Medal in 93 and I reckon his best years were 93-95, in 1995 he was THE AGE Player of the Year.

[Twodogs]

I was watching the Libba/Knights incident yesterday. I'd forgotten that Leon Cameron was the Ricmond player who kicked it to the Libba/Knights contest.

[EasternWest]

Griff was a lot more of a burst player who was a little bit more one-sided. Cameron was more of a cruiser who still could turn on the jets if needed, but was fluent on both sides of the body to the point of almost seamlessness.

A bit more one sided?

I heard Griff was always running late whenever he had to drive anywhere because he had to make three right turns to go left.

[Remi Moses]

Good question Remi, I doubt the Griffen trade reflects on Cameron in anyway.
If our coaching position became available he would be judged on his ability to make the team better

I tend to agree G . Their side last year was inferior to their 2016 team yet they made a granny
He’s been stiff with injuries

[Happy Days]

A bit more one sided?

I heard Griff was always running late whenever he had to drive anywhere because he had to make three right turns to go left.

I'm reading a book about the death of Fitzroy at the moment. There's a funny story in there about the club being so broke in the early 90's that they couldn't afford to have the right indicator on a team supplies van fixed. So to compensate, the training staff who would drive the van used to come up with routes to and from the grounds that only used left handed turns.

[bornadog]

I'm reading a book about the death of Fitzroy at the moment. There's a funny story in there about the club being so broke in the early 90's that they couldn't afford to have the right indicator on a team supplies van fixed. So to compensate, the training staff who would drive the van used to come up with routes to and from the grounds that only used left handed turns.

Very funny.

These days it seems no one uses blinkers so would have been normal. :D

[Twodogs]

I'm reading a book about the death of Fitzroy at the moment. There's a funny story in there about the club being so broke in the early 90's that they couldn't afford to have the right indicator on a team supplies van fixed. So to compensate, the training staff who would drive the van used to come up with routes to and from the grounds that only used left handed turns.

I used to have a girlfriend who point blank refused to make a right hand turn. Before we went anywhere (I couldn't drive back then) we would have to get the Melways out and work out a route with no right turns.

[Rocket Science]

Don't thank me, thank the Youtube algorithm that served this up.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGW7Z80BwMU

How's the Bontempellian pickup from Leon?

[Mofra]

How's the Bontempellian pickup from Leon?
Sublime... I still think Hawkins is the best "one handed pick-up on the run" I've seen in Bulldog colours though.

The adage of "two hands if it's wet, one hand if it's dry" didn't apply to Hawk.

[The bulldog tragician]

For mine, Murph is the player he most resembles. Something elegant in his movement, and that wiry frame.

As to him coming back to the club, there's certainly been a lot of water under the bridge. I did read that he barracked for us on GF Day 2016. I might have one day forgiven the unfunny 'Lost Dogs' post but to my mind he went above and beyond in his defence of Toby Greene, his attack on Bont and his thuggishness throughout that finals series. Naturally coaches defend their players but you can still acknowledge that there's been wrongdoing and his inability or unwillingness to do that has left a very sour impression about a guy that had always been one of my favourites.