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]

He missed out on the senior job to Bevo.

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

[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.

[Dry Rot]

Thanks. I certainly remember Bucks.

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

[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?

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.