Tigers on track: Cameron
8:32:41 AM Wed 27 August, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
The Tigers might have only won one of their past 13 games to miss the finals for the 20th time in the past 22 seasons but retiring veteran Leon Cameron is in no doubt the club is on the right track for future success.
Cameron announced his retirement on Tuesday and will play his 256th and last AFL game on Sunday when the Tigers meet Hawthorn at the MCG.
A key player during the Tigers’ last finals campaign in 2001, Cameron said injuries to key players and not the performance of the club’s coaching staff or administration was to blame for this year’s slide down the ladder.
“I’ve got no doubt,” Cameron said when asked on Tuesday if the Tigers would return to their glory days soon.
“I’ve said it before and I’ve told the club that we have got the right coaching staff, the right fitness staff, the right medical staff and the right people running the club.”
“It’s the players that have got to take responsibility of stepping up ten to 15 percent to get us to where the top sides are.”
Cameron said the Tigers had been exposed as lacking depth in 2003 due to long-term injuries to stars such as skipper Wayne Campbell and vice-captain Darren Gaspar.
“It’s no secret when we have a lot of our key senior players not playing, we lack a bit of depth,” he said.
“When they are not there we start to carry five or six players when normally we might only have to carry one or two.”
“It really did hurt us when our captain and vice-captain went down.”
Cameron said despite the Tigers’ unflattering record they had only put in two really bad performances when thrashed by Collingwood and St Kilda in recent weeks.
And he said things could have been different had they turned narrow losses against the Kangaroos, Carlton and Geelong into wins.
“We could be sitting here now in a different situation, we could be sitting here with 12 wins and vying for a finals spot,” he said.
Cameron said it would be tough saying goodbye to the game after a 14 year career on Sunday but said it was the right time to end his long and distinguished career.
“I spoke to the boys (his teammates) earlier today and that was a hard thing to do saying your time is up,” he said.
“But I am really looking forward to this week’s match and it will be great to go out on a good note.”
8:32:41 AM Wed 27 August, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
The Tigers might have only won one of their past 13 games to miss the finals for the 20th time in the past 22 seasons but retiring veteran Leon Cameron is in no doubt the club is on the right track for future success.
Cameron announced his retirement on Tuesday and will play his 256th and last AFL game on Sunday when the Tigers meet Hawthorn at the MCG.
A key player during the Tigers’ last finals campaign in 2001, Cameron said injuries to key players and not the performance of the club’s coaching staff or administration was to blame for this year’s slide down the ladder.
“I’ve got no doubt,” Cameron said when asked on Tuesday if the Tigers would return to their glory days soon.
“I’ve said it before and I’ve told the club that we have got the right coaching staff, the right fitness staff, the right medical staff and the right people running the club.”
“It’s the players that have got to take responsibility of stepping up ten to 15 percent to get us to where the top sides are.”
Cameron said the Tigers had been exposed as lacking depth in 2003 due to long-term injuries to stars such as skipper Wayne Campbell and vice-captain Darren Gaspar.
“It’s no secret when we have a lot of our key senior players not playing, we lack a bit of depth,” he said.
“When they are not there we start to carry five or six players when normally we might only have to carry one or two.”
“It really did hurt us when our captain and vice-captain went down.”
Cameron said despite the Tigers’ unflattering record they had only put in two really bad performances when thrashed by Collingwood and St Kilda in recent weeks.
And he said things could have been different had they turned narrow losses against the Kangaroos, Carlton and Geelong into wins.
“We could be sitting here now in a different situation, we could be sitting here with 12 wins and vying for a finals spot,” he said.
Cameron said it would be tough saying goodbye to the game after a 14 year career on Sunday but said it was the right time to end his long and distinguished career.
“I spoke to the boys (his teammates) earlier today and that was a hard thing to do saying your time is up,” he said.
“But I am really looking forward to this week’s match and it will be great to go out on a good note.”
