There aren’t many times in football that a superstar forward would be encouraged to work away from goal, but Jeremy Cameron’s versatility is making him a lethal weapon anywhere on the ground.
Possessing an elite left foot and unmatched creativity, Cameron has been spending more time along the wings and through the midfield in recent weeks.
This tactic was on full display against Richmond, with the star forward only winning two of his 16 disposals inside the Cats forward 50 while going at an impressive 88% disposal efficiency.
Cameron Ling and Meg McDonald discussed the impact of roaming Jeremy, on this week’s episode of Geelong Cats podcast ‘To the Final Bell.’
"He is an elite field kick and is so damaging, he will kick or handball and then go again which opens up the game for him,” Ling said.
“He also creates such a vacuum that opposition players will follow his movement, then others can work into the space that is created by that.”
"I also think he's the best mobile forward, in terms of finishing and kicking around the ground,” McDonald added.
“When the pressure is hot and we're not getting that run off half back or ball movement that we love, I don't think it's best to use Cameron just standing in a pack 30 metres out from goal.
Getting him up the ground gets him involved with his merry band of small forwards around him, and chain it through the middle."
The move has been used to great effect in 2024, with Cameron averaging a career high 18 disposals per game while going at nearly 70% efficiency by foot this year.
Working up the ground certainly hasn’t detracted from Cameron’s scoring ability, averaging two goals per game while hitting the scoreboard in nine of his first eleven matches this season.
Cameron Ling touched on the importance of Cameron’s versatility, helping Geelong’s forward structure to remain unpredictable.
"With the balance at the moment with a forward line consisting of Cameron, Shannon Neale and Tom Hawkins, moving Jeremy up the ground allows isolation for the other two,” Ling said.
“If he stays too deep, do the three players start running into each other’s path?
Does it work?
Those are the questions that start arising.
His ability to use pure athleticism up the ground and impact, but still arrive in a dangerous spot deep forward, it's a weapon that you just use it when you can."