![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/441fcc43b663461ee537a1fa43bde38dbfcd68a8.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
September 16, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
Save<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n There was a time when the thought of becoming a two-time AFL premiership champion and one of the greatest small forwards the game has seen didn\u2019t interest Charlie Cameron.<\/p>\n Born in the outback Queensland mining town of Mount Isa before moving to the remote Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria for his early schooling, rugby league was his dream.<\/p>\n \u201cI preferred rugby league. I was a Melbourne Storm supporter as a kid, so I wanted to play rugby league as a kid. AFL wasn\u2019t big back then,\u201d Cameron recalled.<\/p>\n Even upon his move to Brisbane as a boarder at Marist College Ashgrove, he blossomed into a rugby union star at the same school that produced at least 25 Wallabies \u2013 John Eales and Daniel Herbert among them.<\/p>\n Related Article Now, Cameron is daring to dream of his face being etched onto a major hometown monument.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a billboard when you go into Mount Isa of all the sport star figures \u2013 Pat Rafter, Simon Black was born there, Scotty Prince, Greg Norman \u2013 so I was like, \u2018Why can\u2019t I be on there?\u2019 \u201d Cameron laughed, referring to the remote region\u2019s \u201cBirthplace of Champions\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully one day I can get on there, but there are some pretty good sport stars who have come out of Mount Isa.\u201d<\/p>\n When his family moved to Western Australia, a then 17-year-old Cameron followed. He had barely played Aussie rules until that point, with his brief foray leading to a six-month stint with the Brisbane Lions\u2019 academy before he quit the code.<\/p>\n Like his father, Cameron joined the mining sector. They were long days, the now 32-year-old lamented, and he needed a new outlet. It was there that he played for a local Aussie rules side in the Pilbara region, the Newman Saints \u2013 his first organised club football.<\/p>\n Despite the league being remote, he quickly caught the eye of WAFL outfit the Swan Districts.<\/p>\n Two years after his venture to Perth, he was playing in an Adelaide Crows jumper after being selected in the 2013 rookie draft.<\/p>\n \u201cMoving to WA probably helped me and gave me opportunities, and I took it with both hands. I was working in the mines, working six until six, so working 12-hour days was different,\u201d Cameron said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat, and also working at a Ford dealership as an apprentice mechanic. It wasn\u2019t fun sweeping the floors and doing that sort of stuff as a first year apprentice.<\/p>\n \u201cI was actually alright at footy and got good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article That was a moment that triggered the rise of one of the AFL\u2019s elite small forwards, with his five-goal haul in Brisbane\u2019s semi-final triumph of Adelaide<\/a> making him just the third player to kick 400 majors for the club \u2013 a milestone he will reflect on \u201cwhen I\u2019m retired in a couple of years\u2019 time\u201d.<\/p>\n Cameron comes off contract at the end of 2028. By that stage, Brisbane will be hopeful that Kai Lohmann and Logan Morris will be ready to spearhead the forward line for the next decade.<\/p>\n One piece of that puzzle has already been secured, with Morris announcing a two-year contract extension through to the end of 2029,<\/a> fresh off clinching his maiden All-Australian blazer in a year he has kicked 67 goals, taking his career tally to 144 from just 69 games. <\/p>\n Lohmann, who lauded Cameron as \u201ca great mentor for me on and off the field\u201d, remains unsigned beyond 2027, and the Victorian is expected to command lucrative interest as he continues to cement his reputation as one of the league\u2019s most energetic small forwards.<\/p>\n The 23-year-old\u2019s two goals on Saturday night each came inside the opening minute of the first and third quarter, while his 18 disposals were the equal-second most of his career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll definitely get into his ear over the off season, and hopefully, he can stay,\u201d Morris said of Lohmann, while suggesting he chose \u201cwhere he was happy mentally\u201d over rival offers when determining his own future.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever he does is his decision, but we want him to stay because he\u2019s very valued at this club.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article While his time in the AFL has stretched into a 13th season, Cameron remains a student of his craft. Even 21-year-old All-Australian forward Nick Watson, who Cameron will face in Saturday\u2019s preliminary final against Hawthorn, features on the veteran\u2019s hard drive of downloaded footage.<\/p>\n That research now requires a more delicate balancing act after he and his partner welcomed their first child in August.<\/p>\n \u201cFatherhood is a different challenge now, I\u2019m not sleeping well at night, but trying to get six or seven hours of sleep,\u201d Cameron said with a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s probably more like four or five, but I\u2019m loving every moment.\u201d<\/p>\n While the challenge of being a parent continues, Cameron\u2019s eyes are resting on a showdown with the Hawks at the MCG \u2013 a stage he has become accustomed to thriving on.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It was in last year\u2019s grand final triumph of Geelong that he rediscovered his mojo, having endured a lacklustre season by his lofty standards \u2013 his 32 goals were his fewest since the shortened COVID-19 affected 2020 campaign \u2013 before booting four majors on the last Saturday of September.<\/p>\n With the silverware on the line once again, he is bracing to become the point of difference.<\/p>\n \u201cI took a lot of confidence from the grand final. I just followed that form on and understood the belief and confidence I had in myself, that I could still do it at that level,\u201d Cameron said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more about the moments in finals, especially as a small forward \u2013 you don\u2019t get many looks, so I think I\u2019ve just prided myself on taking my opportunities and moments throughout the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Charlie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/dc6103f1e4e66979536252c274656c7213c5f6ec.jpeg\")
Charlie Cameron is daring to dream of his face being etched onto a hometown monument in Mount Isa.via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Zac](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1891a41c8f92ba98ef3a736dce08783fc74d4cdd.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789505535_928_1bfe4f4478b77699a4cf43ebe4a681bc411fe49febfbfbb2a5e8ae13204a8e9b.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0eb636388775981af17ec240e15b8e67538b9176.jpeg\")
<\/a>Cameron remains a student of the game<\/p>\n