The second-longest streak of consecutive games in club history is still alive after Charlie Cameron escaped suspension at the AFL tribunal last night.
Cameron, who has played 123 games in a row since Round 1 2019, had a potential one-match ban for a sling tackle reduced to a fine on the back of an unblemished record and a heavyweight defence led by Adrian Anderson, former AFL General Manager of Football Operations
The incident involving Melbourne’s Jake Lever at the MCG last week was originally graded as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact by Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
Cameron pleaded guilty to the charge but through Anderson sought to have the force of the incident downgraded from medium to low, thereby reducing the penalty to a fine.
Anderson claimed Cameron was only 74kg – about 20kg lighter than Lever. He said Cameron was ‘fighting against the tackle’ and ‘did not have control’ as Lever went to the ground.
He suggested Cameron needed to complete the tackle in a rotating manner to avoid Lever crushing him, and that Lever’s left arm was free in the tackle, allowing him to brace for contact with the ground. Also, he said Lever’s right arm was only partially pinned.
Anderson, noting that Lever had thrown his head up after it hit the ground, suggested Lever was looking at the umpire for a free kick and it wasn't the force of the tackle that had caused his head to bounce.
The Cameron defence stressed that the medical report on Lever, a former Adelaide teammate, was clear and that he played out the game.
Anderson also lodged a character reference for Cameron from ex-Adelaide and Carlton star Eddie Betts, who played with him at the Crows, and cited the fact that Cameron, among 665 200-game players in AFL history, was one of 355 never to be suspended.
After a lengthy deliberation the tribunal agreed. Chairman Jeff Gleeson suggested the incident was careless but at the lower end of seriousness.
Gleeson said the tribunal found exceptional and compelling circumstances to use its discretion to turn the ban into a fine, meaning the dynamite small forward will be available for the Lions’ crunch Gabba clash with unbeaten Geelong on Saturday night.
All this meant that Cameron avoided joining a list of 13 Brisbane players suspended since coach Chris Fagan took over in 2017.
It is a list headed by Tom Cutler, who received the only two-match suspension of the Fagan era in 2018, and Mitch Robinson, Nick Robertson, Noah Answerth and Lincoln McCarthy, who have twice been suspended for one match.
Dayne Zorko, Jack Frost, Rhys Mathieson, Harris Andrews, Dan McStay, Oscar McInerney, Cam Rayner and Darcy Wilmot (before his AFL debut) each copped one-match bans.
Cameron, back to his best with three goals against the Demons last week, has been a picture of resilience in his 11 years in the AFL after being drafted by the Adelaide Crows with pick #7 in the 2013 rookie draft.
After playing seven of 14 games in his first season with Adelaide in 2014 he played 66 of a possible 72 from 2015-17 before requesting a trade to Brisbane for family reasons. He played the first 11 games of 2018 with the Lions, missed the next 11 with a bad ankle, and hasn’t missed since.
His 123-game streak is one of just five 100-game streaks in Brisbane history, behind only Marcus Ashcroft’s phenomenal 170-game run from 1992-2000, and ahead of Jack Redden’s 109 (2009-14), Simon Black’s 107 (2000-04) and Nigel Lappin’s 103 (1998-2002).
Cameron’s live streak also rates third among current AFL players, behind only the Collingwood’s ex-Lion Jack Crisp (219) and Melbourne’s Christian Petracca (138).
Crisp’s unbroken stretch, which began with his last six games with Brisbane in 2014, is third-longest in AFL history behind Jim Stynes’ 244 consecutive games with Melbourne (1987-98) the 226-game run of ex-Melbourne teammate turned Richmond coach Adem Yze (1997-2007).
Sydney’s Adam Goodes (204 – 1999-2008), Sydney’s Brett Kirk (200 – 2002-10) and Jared Crouch (194 – 1998-2006) fill three of the next four positions, split only by Richmond’s Jack Titus (202 -1933-43), with Ashcroft, 12th all-time, also behind Collingwood’s Jock McHale (191 – 1906-17), Hawthorn’s Andy Collins (189 – 1988-96), Port Adelaide’s Kane Cornes (174 – 2003-11) and Richmond’s Kevin Bartlett (173 – 1975-82).
Cameron ranks third for games played by members of the AFL Class of 2013 despite being overlooked a total of 70 times before he was taken by the Crows with the pick immediately after the Lions had taken Isaac Conway, brother of Lions AFLW star Sophie Conway.
Only 221-game Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli, drafted at pick #4, and 211-game Essendon captain Zach Merrett, who went at #26, have played more games than the 207-game Lions star. And Cameron leads the Class of 2013 goal-kicking with 363, ahead of North Melbourne turned Melbourne spearhead Ben Brown, who was another bargain pick-up at #47. He has 359 goals.
Saturday night’s Gabba clash will reunite Lincoln McCarthy and possibly Darcy Fort with their former Cats teammates. McCarthy will play against the Cats for the ninth time, looking to improve on a 3-5 win/loss record, while Fort’s only game against Geelong in 2022 produced a loss.
This pair are among 21 players to have represented both clubs. Only Tristan Lynch, Scott Bamford, Mitch Clark and Lachie Henderson played first for the Lions, while McCarthy, Fort, Adrian Fletcher, David O’Keeffe, Steve Reynoldson, Craig Evans, David Cameron, Shane Hamilton, Martin Heffernan, Damian Bourke, Andrew Bews, Martin McKinnon, Brent Moloney, Trent West, Allen Christensen, Josh Walker and Nakia Cockatoo began at the ‘Cattery’.
The head-to-head record between the clubs is an unusual sequence of alternating domination. After Brisbane won the first two meetings Geelong had 10 wins and a draw from the next 11. From 1997 won Brisbane 10 in a row and 12 of 13, but since 2006 the Cats have enjoyed a 23-5 run.
Overall, in 56 meetings the record is 21-1-34 to Geelong, and 13-14 to the Cats at the Gabba. Under Chris Fagan it is 3-7 overall and 3-2 at home.
Jason Akermanis (15) and Nigel Lappin (11) have polled most Brownlow Medal votes for Brisbane against Geelong, while Mark Withers holds the club record of 38 possessions against the Cats in his best & fairest year of 1988. Three Brisbane players have kicked eight goals in a game against Geelong – Jim Edmond (1987), Roger Merrett (1990) and John Hutton (1992) in a loss.
Unmatched statistically since the first meeting between the clubs in 1987, and Brisbane’s second game in the AFL, is Mark Williams’ 30 possessions and six goals.
Captain Patrick Dangerfield, sidelined since 22 March but expected to return this week, heads the Geelong medal vote count against Brisbane with 15, from Joel Selwood (14), Steve Johnson (14), Tom Hawkins (12), Gary Ablett Jnr (11) and Paul Chapman (11).
Gary Ablett Jnr (42), Selwood (41) and Mark Bairstow (40) have posted the highest individual possession games for Geelong against Brisbane, while Gary Ablett Snr and Bill Brownless each kicked 11 goals against Brisbane.
In 11 games against Brisbane Ablett Snr kicked 67 goals – 8-2-11-4-3-6-9-8-6-6-4.
Ablett Jnr, more dominant for Gold Coast against Brisbane than he was in Geelong colors, nevertheless posted a special statistic against the club – he polled his second Brownlow Medal vote against Brisbane in 2003 and his 262nd and last vote against Brisbane in 2020.
Tom Hawkins, also set to return from a one-week injury layoff this week, has kicked more goals and polled more Brownlow Medal votes against Brisbane than any other club – 68 goals and 12 votes.
Only twice in 23 games against the Lions has he been held goalless – the last time by a best afield Harris Andrews in Round 19 last year when the Lions won by 11 points after being 37 points up.
