First year ruckman Darcy Cameron knows he has plenty of work to do despite an impressive performance in Friday afternoon’s intra-club match at Henson Park.
The 21-year-old Western Australian was a standout performer during Friday’s hitout as he went toe to toe with the more experienced Kurt Tippett.
Cameron competed well at the ruck contests before displaying his agility around the ground where he was able to find plenty of the football.
The mature-aged recruit spent time developing his craft for Claremont in the WAFL before being drafted with pick 48 in the 2016 National Draft.
With an AFL debut in his sights, Cameron has been soaking up all he can learn during his first pre-season on a senior list.
“All the little things feel like they are coming a lot more natural now, but there is still miles of work to go,” Cameron said.
“I need to get a lot bigger and stronger still, and just continue to learn.
“There is a long way to go but I feel confident that if I can just continue to do a couple of good things a game then my belief will grow.”
It was his battle with Tippett on Friday afternoon that most impressed senior coach John Longmire.
“He (Darcy Cameron) has had a good pre-season competing with Kurt who has done all the pre-season ruck work,” Longmire said.
“Those two have been going at each other over the pre-season and they have done pretty well.
“He is actually a pretty good mark, plays well as a forward and has good forward instincts.
“He is learning the game, but he looks ok at the moment.”
Cameron has enjoyed the opportunity to absorb all the knowledge passed on from his new teammates – in particular Tippett.
“Tippo is perfect (to learn from) as he will compete hard against you and then after you finish will let you know what to do,” Cameron said.
“He always has a lot of feedback.
“When I go down forward playing against Reg (Heath Grundy) he always has plenty of good feedback for me as well.
“I pretty much have the best ruckman and best defender in the league to learn from.”