Mission: Impossible – Geelong defender cops toughest task against Charlie
Back in favour at Geelong at the right time of the year, Jed Bews wants to prove he’s up for one of the hardest jobs in footy: stopping Charlie Cameron.
Charlie Cameron of the Lions has become the latest AFL star to be the target of racial abuse.. (AAP Image/Darren England)
The Geelong local has played just four AFL games this season between injuries and falling out of favour.
But all of them have come at the back end of the year, with Bews primed for a lockdown job in Saturday’s preliminary final against Brisbane at the MCG.
Cameron has kicked 41 goals this year, including two in each of the Lions’ finals, while Cam Rayner has popped up for 28, Kai Lohmann has snagged 31 and Zac Bailey and Callum Ah Chee also regularly hit the scoreboard.
But Bews knows who he would line up on if given first dibs.
“I’d love Charlie Cameron,” Bews told AAP.
“It’d usually be Linc (McCarthy) as well. Obviously, he’s not playing right now (through injury).
“They’ve got a few small forwards and even mids that go forward and rest. I’d love to get the Charlie one, but we’ll just see what Scotty (coach Chris Scott) and the coaches have for us.”
Bews knows exactly what he would be up against in Cameron.
“He’s just smart,” he said.
“He’s quite an honest player too, which is good. He runs to the right spots. He’s quite explosive when the ball’s in the area.
“So you can’t really go to sleep on him, or just think he’s not going to get it, because as soon as you think that, he pops up and he can kick them from anywhere.
“He’s a dynamic player that’s in good form, as Brisbane are. So yeah, just got to be aware of him all the time.”
Bews admitted it had been a “challenging” and “frustrating” season personally after previously being a lock in Chris Scott’s team.
But the typically staunch defender, 30, put his head down and worked.
“Injuries at the wrong time, and then just not selected for most of the year – at times it can be a bit frustrating, but I tried not to let it get to me too much, knowing that there’s going to always be a chance later in the year,” he said.
“And so far, it’s paid off, because I got the game two weeks ago, which was humbling to get into that one and we played pretty well, especially as a team.
“It’s been a roller coaster this year, but hopefully in at the right time.”
And the 2022 premiership player believes this very different looking crop of Cats can also do something special.
“I don’t see why not,” he said.
