Pandemonium and pile-ons, it’s been another big week for Charlie Cameron.
On Saturday night in front of over 21,000 delirious fans at the Gabba he slotted a goal after the siren to cement the Lions spot in the top 4 and secure them a double chance in the Finals Series.
His goal was followed by his signature larger-than-life celebration, a pile-on by his teammates and pandemonium in the stands.
It’s this kind of excitement and energy that the small-forward injects into every match he plays for the Lions.
Charlie’s an entertainer.
This weekend, at a ground he knows all-too-well, and in front of an Adelaide crowd that are experienced in his trademark brand of exciting footy, he’ll celebrate his 150th game; an outcome that seems fitting for the former Crows player who has also celebrated both his 50th and 100th milestone at Adelaide Oval.
Cameron has created one of football’s more spectacular highlight reels over his 149 games, consistently ranking high in the Coleman Medal tally and producing a weekly candidates for goal or mark of the year on his way to cementing his place as arguably the game’s best small-forward.
But it wasn’t always an easy road for Cameron and getting to the 150-game mark is a special milestone for him.
“I was a Rookie draft pick at Adelaide so getting to 150 games is pretty special and it will be pretty special playing it at Adelaide Oval,” he said.
“Families and partners can’t be there unfortunately, but I’ve got a few mates down in Adelaide and a few boys that I played with at the Crows and they’ll be there to support me.”
Despite the milestone, Charlie’s focus is all on getting the job done for his team this weekend and he’s approaching it with a steely focus and without any frills, drawing confidence on the form that the Lions had found in recent week.
"We finally found our mojo again. It flowed on from the Freo game. We were able to play our brand from the first centre bounce to the last," he said.
"Our pressure over the past few weeks has been up there with the best. And if we bring the pressure and are able to compete, it obviously makes life easier for our midfield and defenders when the ball leaves our forward line.
"We've given ourselves confidence in the last few games leading into the finals series, bringing that intensity and energy.
"If we bring that mindset, build the pressure, hunt the ball; we'll be unstoppable."
On that note, one thing’s for certain as we head into the Finals series, fans can look forward to plenty of Charlie’s signature motorbike-revving goal celebration.
