Charlie Cameron has been in excellent form during the pre-season for the Brisbane Lions and the club is confident he's in for a big year.
Known across the competition for his explosive pace and ability to create scoring opportunities from seemingly nothing, the Lardil Waanyi man was below his best for large parts of the 2025 season.
"I probably have got more focused this year," Cameron said.
"Just coming back with the right mindset and a bit of confidence from the grand final that I can still match it with the best."
Cameron booted 4 goals in the 2025 Grand Final, with the Brisbane Lions defeating the Geelong Cats by 47 points.
After a demanding summer on the training track, the dynamic small forward has impressed with his elite fitness levels.
"I probably did a lot more running with Ryan Lester, Dane Zorko and Harris Andrews, they would always text me a lot to go for a run," Cameron said.
"I have a clear mindset coming back and I just want to prove to myself that I can still match it with the best."
The 31 year-old will play his 12th season of AFL this year, and Cameron believes the Lions could once again be the team to beat.
"Kideon Coleman and Lincoln McCarthy (both injured last year) have come back in great shape, and there's a lot of confidence there and a lot of belief that we can get back to the last week of September, but I understand it's a tough competition," Cameron said.
Cameron is a proud Lardil and Waanyi man who grew up on Mornington Island and he's a staunch advocate for getting more Indigenous kids playing elite Aussie Rules.
But the number of First Nations players in the men's competition this year is at its lowest point in two decades - dropping to 62 players.
"That's something I've been trying to talk about, how can we help younger players coming through and the next pathways," Cameron said.
"We lost a few last year and this year as well due to things, it's always a topic and hopefully we can help young players coming through."
The AFL is actively addressing the decline in Indigenous player representation.
The league has launched the 2026 AFL Indigenous and Multicultural Academies to bolster future pathways, selecting talent for high-performance camps
"We've got enough resources," Cameron said.
"There's an Indigenous Wellbeing Officer at each club now, we've got Anthony Corrie at ours and he does a wonderful job.
"I think that's the main thing of having a great Indigenous support officer at the club to help the younger players coming through."
