Lions to re-sign Charlie
ELECTRIC forward Charlie Cameron is set to recommit to a lucrative long-term extension at Brisbane Lions, thwarting any chance of a poaching raid.
The Lions are keen to lock away the gun goal-kicker (pictured) on a four or five-year deal that will ensure Cameron plays out the prime part of his career up north.
Cameron’s manager, Andrew McDougall from Corporate Sports Australia, is in the final stages of talks on a deal that could be finalised within the next fortnight.
The new contract is set to include a decent pay rise for the sharpshooter, who is on about $650,000 a year.
It is understood Cameron will earn upwards of $750,000 a year as part of the new deal, underlining his status as one of the most damaging and exciting forwards in the game.
The former Crows livewire has slotted 15 goals from eight games to sit fourth in this year’s Coleman Medal race after booting 57 goals from 24 matches last season.
North Melbourne champion Wayne Carey said Cameron was the most watchable player in the game.
“I love it whenever Charlie Cameron goes near the footy.” Carey said on Triple M.
Cameron, 26, is contracted until the end of next season but Brisbane list manager Dom Ambrogio has moved quickly to cut off any interest from cashed-up Victorian rivals.
Cameron loomed as a potential target for North Melbourne and Carlton but the speedster will stay up north to help spearhead the Lions’ finals assault over the next four to five years.
Recruiters and list managers have labelled quick and dangerous small forwards who pile on the defensive pressure and trap the ball forward an increasingly important piece in the premiership list build.
His signature will be another list management win for the Lions, who pulled off one of the shrewdest recruiting moves of recent seasons last year when they nabbed Lachie Neale from Fremantle.
The ball magnet has flourished in his second season at Brisbane and is a $2.75 favourite for the Brownlow Medal with Ladbrokes ahead of Carlton’s Patrick Cripps ($9).