Charlie draws on Origin idol
CHARLIE Cameron and the Lions pack will harness the famous Queenslander spirit when they face Richmond in a finals blockbuster tonight at the Gabba, with the Brisbane star revealing he idolised Maroons great Greg Inglis growing up.
Brisbane faces a mammoth task in breaking a 15-game losing streak against the powerhouse Tigers in tonight’s qualifying final but it will be spurred on by Queensland’s “never say die” attitude.
It comes after Cameron revealed how, as a youngster, he drew inspiration from Maroons legend Inglis — who planned to reach out to the Lions star this week ahead of their finals campaign.
“I remember watching when Inglis first went to Melbourne,” Cameron said.
“I just grew up loving him and the way he played.
“He’s got to be my favourite player of all time. I always loved him as a player and as a competitor.
“He was watch.”
Cameron grew up around Mount Isa and Mornington Island before moving down to Brisbane to attend Marist Ashgrove College.
It was during these early days that the superstar Indigenous player got a taste of rugby league and fell in love with the sport.
“I grew up in North Queensland around Mount Isa and then moved down to Brisbane to go to Marist (Ashjust great to grove),” he said. “I played a lot of rugby league and rugby union at that time.
“I still love it now and still watch it.
“I have a lot of interest in rugby league and still love to watch it.
“It’s a shame I can’t get to the games this year.”
It was only a move to Western Australia with his family when he finished school that catapulted Cameron into the AFL system.
After being drafted by Adelaide in the 2013 NAB AFL Rookie Draft — at pick seven — Cameron returned to Queensland in 2018 and this season celebrated his 100th game. Now he has his eyes set on building success in Brisbane — as the Maroons did for Queensland — by consistently being the best.
“When we got back for preseason (after the 2019 season), we tried to find ways to bridge that gap from the good teams to the best.”