NO NEED TO CRAM
‘I SIMPLY JUST WANT TO PLAY ROUND 1’
Geelong recruit Stewart Crameri is dreaming of a Round 1 partnership with Tom Hawkins. But while he remains on track to form part of a potent combination, he knows he cannot rush his body after two yyears of setbacks, as he looks to make the most of his career lifeline. .
GEELONG recruit Stewart Crameri is dreaming of a Round 1 partnership with Tom Hawkins as he looks to put a horror two years in the rear vision mirror.
The 29-year-old has played just two games since 2015, missing the entire 2016 season due to a ban stemming from the Essendon supplement scandal, while 2017 was cruelled by a hip injury.
But Crameri has made good progress in his recovery in the past fortnight, giving him hope he can make his Cats debut against Melbourne at the MCG.
“I simply just want to play Round 1,” Crameri said.
“It will be my 100th game when I come back, so it’s a little bit more special I guess.
“I know how much work I’ve done to get my body ready, so I will really cherish the games I do play for Geelong this year.”
Geelong handed Crameri a career lifeline in last year’s rookie draft after he argued his worth to Geelong’s recruiters in a passionate plea for one last chance.
The former Western Bulldogs and Essendon forward is confident he is over his hip problems, and a recent return to training leaves him hopeful of playing a part in Geelong’s JLT Community Series.
“50/50,” Crameri said when asked if he would feature in any pre-season games.
“I’m trying to aim for the second JLT game (against former club Essendon in Colac).
“I’m just back into it (training) last week and this week. I am now training really well, pretty fit and looking pretty good for the year, I think.
“I’m injury-free and kicking the ball really well. I had a big issue with that last year, kicking, and a few other things. That’s all cleared up now.”
Crameri said Geelong had been cautious with his rehabilitation, making sure he didn’t feel any pressure to return to full training quickly.
And now he hopes to repay their faith.
“They said they had no expectations, they wanted me to get right first and the footy would come second,” he said.
“I want to be consistent throughout the year, the last couple of years have been tough. So to simply do that, and then maybe on the back of that try and get a few goals, (provide) forward pressure and help the team win games. I don’t want to set the bar too high, but to just play AFL again will be good enough for me.”