Charlie Cameron feels he’s closing in on full match fitness almost two months on from minor knee surgery.
After a breakout 2015 season where he played 22 AFL games and won a Rising Star nomination, Cameron was booked in for a minor knee operation in February to correct ongoing soreness. The interruption forced Cameron into a modified training program late in the pre-season and he watched from the sidelines during the NAB Challenge as his teammates geared up for the premiership season.
The livewire forward has now played in three SANFL games for Adelaide after returning to a full training load last month.
Cameron looked back to his dangerous best in Sunday’s win over Woodville-West Torrens, collecting 17 possessions, three tackles and booting four goals against the Eagles. He also had a match-high 12 score involvements – the equal-most of any player in the SANFL for the round.
Cameron said he was starting to regain his confidence on the field and rebuild full match conditioning.
“I feel like now I’m really starting to get my fitness up and find my feet,” he said after Sunday’s 43-point win over the Eagles.
“I still felt like I was struggling a little bit late in the game today, but it was definitely a lot better than the last few weeks. I’ve just got to keep going now.
“I’ve just got to keep pushing myself and getting four-quarter efforts into the body. Match fitness is another level compared to training, so it’s important for me to keep working away at it.”
Cameron booted a goal in each quarter of Adelaide’s win over the Eagles, and they all came in contrasting fashion - proving the 21-year-old’s versatility as a forward.
His first was a crafty snap that bounced through for six points, while Cameron’s second followed a strong contested mark to break a five-goal run for the home side. The former rookie then slotted a beautiful set shot from the boundary about 40 metres out and found himself on the end of a swift team play for a well-earned fourth major of the afternoon.
Cameron’s haul equalled his best return as a Crow at both AFL and SANFL level, but the speedster said his focus remained on other areas of his game.
“It was good to get on the scoreboard today, but I pride myself on my pressure acts more than that stuff,” he said.
“If I can get that part of my game going, I usually find the rest of my game just flows on from there.
“I just want to concentrate on playing that role for the team in the SANFL over four quarters and see where that takes me in the next few weeks.”
Adelaide’s SANFL team will break for its first bye next weekend after notching three wins through its opening three games to earn top spot on the League table. Players not selected in Adelaide’s AFL team to take on the Sydney Swans next weekend will be put through a solid training session ahead of the clash on Saturday night.
The SANFL Crows return to action against Glenelg in Round Five at Gliderol Stadium on Sunday, April 24.
