How Warwick Capper capped Cameron’s 40th game; Giants full of energy

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In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:

• Fun and coach’s faith key to Darcy Cameron’s success at Collingwood. 
• Lachie Whitfield says energy is high at Giants.

A tiny insight into Craig McRae’s Collingwood came in an otherwise nondescript round 12 match last year, at least for the Magpies it was nondescript.

McRae’s men were playing Hawthorn, who were significant underdogs but keen to honour premiership players Luke Breust and Liam Shiels, both playing their 250th milestone match.

Darcy Cameron relaxing at Collingwood’s training base.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

McRae, the AFL’s answer to hyper-positive, fictional TV character Ted Lasso, wanted to inject something for Collingwood to play for, too, even if it was lighthearted, so ruckman Darcy Cameron’s 40th game – six years into his career, after starting at Sydney – became the source.

Cameron can sometimes be, in his own words, “the brunt of jokes” for his propensity to make the odd on-field blunder, so he is used to these types of scenarios.

“I got a few video messages from people around Australia, some big dogs. There was Hamish McLachlan, Warwick Capper, Fraser Gehrig – it was hilarious,” Cameron told this masthead.

Collingwood ruckman Darcy Cameron recalled the string celebrity messages he got for his 40th game, including one from colourful AFL identity Warwick Capper, who like him, once played for Sydney.Credit: Getty

“They went with the joke: ‘Congrats on your 40th; you’ve come so far’, and it was very funny. The boys loved it. Ten games later, they did exactly the same thing for my 50th.”

All jokes aside, there were times in Cameron’s “frustrating” Swans days when he feared he might not even make it beyond single-digit AFL games after playing only once in three seasons in red and white.

His 2019 trade to the Pies changed all that, to the point list boss Graham Wright was so confident in his ability he was willing to offload dual All-Australian Brodie Grundy last year. Cameron took great confidence from that, knowing there was trust in him.

Twelve months on, Grundy seems poised to request a trade from Melbourne to a third club, while Cameron has formed a new ruck combination with Mason Cox entering a second-straight preliminary final.

“We lost to Gold Coast that day [I played my only game for Sydney] – the first time ever at the SCG – and that’s not how I would have liked it to go, and it took me another couple of years to play my second,” he said.

“I was thinking I was going to play only a handful of games throughout my career, which is why I try to enjoy every game and be grateful for what I’ve been dealt because I’m having so much fun doing it. You like to have a little fun when we can in those team meetings, but there’s also a lot of seriousness about it, and we take our jobs really seriously. I am really grateful for where I am.”

Cameron’s worn criticism in the latter stages of the season for a dip in form, especially compared to his breakout 2022 campaign, and was subbed out in the qualifying final against Melbourne and a rampaging Max Gawn.

It did not help that he was sick most of that week before some “Colombian remedies” from his nurse partner helped him get to the starting line. Cameron understood why he was sacrificed in that big final and said moments like those were why he enjoyed his working relationship with Cox.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae.Credit: Darrian Traynor

“Sharing the load with Coxy, you don’t have all this pressure to go out there and dominate – you just have to go out there and play your role,” he said. “If I’m bringing the ball to ground, following up well and doing the right things; you don’t need to have those big games.”

Collingwood are taking a similarly optimistic view to Taylor Adams’ unfortunate situation, with a left hamstring setback keeping him out of at least Friday night’s preliminary final. A groin tear cost him playing at the same stage last season.

“We’re pretty excited that, hopefully, if we can get over the line this week, that we will see him on grand final day,” Cameron said.

Another reason for positivity is that the Magpies are set to regain the incomparable Nick Daicos, as a timely Adams replacement, from a hairline fracture in his right knee that has sidelined him since round 21.

John Noble will also hope to force his way in after being an unlucky omission for the qualifying final.

“I’m pretty sure [Daicos will play], but I don’t want to be crucified if I get that wrong. I think we’ll see him out there – he’ll train this week, and I’m expecting him to play,” Cameron said.

“Young again”, Whitfield says Giants have energy to take down Pies

Steve Barrett

Lachie Whitfield feels “young again”.

Sure, he is only 29 with loads of footy and life ahead of him, but the way GWS have taken all before them in recent months following a disappointing, difficult 2022 and dire start to 2023 has the star playmaker and his fellow Giants feeling rejuvenated.

Jack Buckley and Lachie Whitfield celebrate the GWS Giants’ comfortable win over Port Adelaide.Credit: Getty

“My body’s sore but I feel young again,” Whitfield said. “I feel full of energy. Any challenge that’s being sent our way we’re taking it head-on.

“There’s a really big confidence to get the job done week-to-week. There’s so much energy in this footy club at the moment.”

Down and out in 15th position with a 4:8 win:loss record after round 12, GWS won nine of their next 11 games to claim a finals berth then ousted St Kilda in an elimination final and Port Adelaide on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval.

The Giants’ 51-point loss to the Power in round 22 was a rare blemish in their late-season run, but they redeemed themselves on Saturday when it counted most.

“They nutted us in the midfield only a month ago,” said Whitfield, who starred in Saturday’s win with a game-high 33 disposals.

“For the boys to be able to flip that and smash them in clearances and put a winning score on; it’s just so pleasing.”

The midfield mauling in the first half – GWS beat the Power 29-12 at clearances and 81-29 for handball receives – was a masterclass that exceeded the highest expectations of GWS coach Adam Kingsley.

The first-year coach said after the match he could not remember his team having such statistical supremacy over an opponent.

“It’s a nice time to get those numbers,” Kingsley said.

“That run-and-carry game that we’re trying to implement looked really good at times. But equally, our pressure and our come-forward defence was really strong.”

Now the Giants face a preliminary final against Collingwood on Friday night at the MCG.

Giant Jake Riccardi celebrates a goal in front of a small band of hardy GWS supporters who braved the trip to the Adelaide Oval for Saturday night’s semi-final.Credit: AFL Photos

“Clearly it will be a different challenge against Collingwood,” Kingsley said. “They’ve been quite a good stoppage team.

“I feel like our game is in good order, we’re healthy, we’ll have a full list to pick from again. We couldn’t be better placed to take on Collingwood.”

The Power, meanwhile, were left to lament their late-season slump, including successive finals batterings in the midfield from Brisbane and GWS.

“We definitely have to get better if we’re going to win in September,” said Port coach Ken Hinkley.

“We had a great run of 13 (consecutive) wins, and we were playing some really strong footy but the last 7-8 weeks, for a number of reasons, we weren’t near that form … and it got shown up in the finals.

“Carlton and the Giants have played no doubt as good a football as anyone in the last 8-10 weeks and they rightly earned their way to prelims.

For Whitfield, this week’s clash against the Magpies is a reminder that he missed his club’s finest hour – its four-point win over Collingwood in the 2019 preliminary final – after being hospitalised with appendicitis.

While he did stage a remarkable recovery to take his place in the grand final against Richmond 10 days after having surgery, his team was swamped by the Tigers and Whitfield, like many of his teammates, was below his best.

In his defence, he had lost three kilograms in weight and was almost unable to kick on his painful right-hand side. But this time he’s fit and primed, as is his team.

”The Pies have been the benchmark all year. But finals are funny; anything can happen if you just do the right thing at the right moment,” said Whitfield, who is averaging a career-best 27 disposals a game this year.

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