Battling Geelong star Jeremy Cameron has described his two-kick game in a grand final rematch as “borderline pathetic”.
Still suffering the effects of a broken arm from last year’s decider, Cameron had one of his poorest games for the Cats in last Thursday night’s 22-point defeat to the Brisbane Lions.
The 33-year-old went goalless for the second time in his last four games, even earning a small bronx cheer from Geelong supporters when he got the last of his four possessions late in the match.
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In a revealing chat with his former GWS teammate Toby Greene, Cameron reflected on one of the worst of his 295 AFL games.
“I’m normally relaxed about my football and I don’t normally take football home with me too often, but I was bloody pissed off driving back down the highway out to the farm after the game,” Cameron told the Ausmerican Aces podcast.
“It was borderline pathetic and hats off to (Lions defender) Darcy Gardiner who played a ripping game and just beat me on the night.
“It was a frustrating one and I’m sure frustrating for a lot of the boys as well.
“Some of my worst games have been the ones I have got the most improvement from.”
Despite sitting fourth in the Coleman Medal, 10 of Cameron’s 39 goals this season came in one game against the Western Bulldogs.
The veteran forward bravely played on after suffering the injury just before halftime in last year’s grand final.
But Cameron, who has also been troubled by a hip issue, continues to play with a guard on his right arm – which he will need further operations on at season’s end.
Geelong coach Chris Scott is steadfast on Cameron being able to play a crucial role in the Cats’ finals push.
“It’s obviously frustrating for him (Cameron) at the moment that he’s not feeling as good as he has at times in his career,” Scott said on Wednesday.
“But so he’s got some ideas on it and we’ve thrown around some things this week that we think are worthy of consideration.
“This is something that’s been an issue for him for virtually all the year and if you probably look at it and say well there has been ups and downs, because there certainly have been ups.
“Maybe we focus a little bit more on the downs, but he’s saying he’s in good enough shape to finish out the year with more of those ups than downs.”
After four losses in their last five games, Geelong face an unpredictable Giants team at Engie Stadium on Saturday.
The Cats have lost their last four games against the Giants, last beating them at the Sydney Showgrounds venue back in 2014.
In an intriguing side-plot, Cameron is desperately trying to get Greene to leave GWS at the end of this season and finish his career in Geelong.