How to bring out-of-sorts Lion back from career low
Murray Wenzel |
Brisbane great Alastair Lynch believes Charlie Cameron is thinking too much about kicking goals and that a tactical shift could spark something in the out-of-sorts forward.
The Lions host rivals Gold Coast at the Gabba in Saturday’s AFL semi-final, with the winner earning a preliminary final berth against Collingwood.
Brisbane were humbled by Geelong last week, Cameron mustering just one handball after kicking the opening goal.
The two-disposal performance in his 251st game was a career low and comes in a stop-start campaign that’s included nine games without a goal.
The 31-year-old has enjoyed facing the Suns though, his 43 goals in 19 games is notably 12 more majors than he’s tallied against any other team.
Former Lions captain and triple premiership full-forward Lynch doesn’t think Cameron is a fading star.
He just wants to see the crowd favourite get his hands on the ball and “feeling good about himself”.
“If they try to get him up the field a bit more,” he told AAP.
“Way back when he was at the Crows (between 2014-17) he’d start at halfback and drift forward.
“If you’re deep forward, you feel like you’re being marked on kicking goals and it looks like that because he is always running back towards goal.
“His teammates will be aware of it and trying to get him the ball, because they know if he’s in good form it helps them.
“He’s had a couple of little sparks this season but the last 18 months hasn’t been at his best, but Fages (Chris Fagan) is the kind of coach who puts his arm around him, rather than dropping him.”
The Gabba clash sold out in a flash and the Suns, fresh off an emotional defeat of Fremantle in the club’s first finals game, will fancy their chances against an injury-hit Brisbane.
“Clearly this is the biggest AFL football game in Queensland’s history,” Lynch said.
“In COVID times (2020) we had the grand final, but this is two Queensland teams going head to head.
“Gold Coast has been in the league 15 years and at the start the rivalry was a bit manufactured.
“But make no mistake, there is a rivalry now.
“A certain amount of respect, but there is dislike among these two teams.”
AAP
