CRAIG CAMERON - THE INTERVIEW

CRAIG CAMERON - THE INTERVIEW

Dwayne Russell and Tony Leonard on 3AW’s Sorts Today Saturday Edition interviewed Melbournefc General Manager of Recruiting and List Management Craig Cameron today. With thanks to poster Alpha 33 we bring you the transcript of the interview:

DR: Craig Cameron the Demons recruiting manager has been good enough to join us. Welcome to the programme Craig. How are you?

CAC: Good Dwayne and Tony. How are you guys?

TL: Very well thank you Craig. The first question to get out into the open is Travis Johnstone, pick number one in what was it 1997? Now on his way to Brisbane. At what stage did you know that the union was going to part?

CAC: When you decide to trade a player like Travis it's not a five minute decision so we spent a fair bit of time thinking about it, looking at what we were trying to do with Dean coming on board and Chris Connolly as the new football manager and thinking what our strategy was over the next three years as a football club. The thing that was unanimous was that we were trying to build around the under 23 age group and if we could get more early draft selections particularly another first round selection in this year's draft we'd be happy because that just gives us a good group of youngsters coming through in the next few years. So when we decided that that was the direction we were going to go Travis was probably the player that we thought was most likely to deliver a first round selection to us.

DR: Dean Bailey and Chris Connolly are both new to the club. Were they the ones who made the decision that Travis Johnstone was tradeable or should be traded because you wouldn’t think they knew Travis Johnstone and his history that well in comparison to those at the club. Was it suggested to Dean Bailey and Chris Connolly that Travis Johnstone was expendable?

CAC: I think it was pretty much a group decision. Dean was obviously excited by Travis' talent but when we actually sat down and thought about where our list was at and what we needed to do to rejuvenate it or to keep the guys 23 and under coming through with more talent underneath them the long-term view was taken. It was not an easy decision. It's not an easy decision to move somebody of the quality Travis who was a best and fairest winner and a first round draft pick in the draft. It's not easy but I reckon in the end that everyone came to the conclusion that that was the best way to go.

TL: In the finish Cameron, not a lot of trading's been done. People would look at Melbourne season and suggest a lot more should have been done. How would you respond to that?

CAC: Well we traded a player out and a player in and we got another first round selection. Last year we didn't do any trading at all. I don't know. Does the history of trading suggest that it makes a difference to a side's short term or long-term future? I mean you guys can look up the records and decide whether that's the case but I would suggest on face value that doing a lot of trades makes a big difference to your outcome.

TL: I suppose the companion question to that Craig is how does Melbourne become a better side in 2008 with Travis Johnstone out of the side, John Meesen as your ruckman coming in and obviously there's a draft pick that comes with it.

CAC: Yeah. Well, we've got three early selections in this year's draft, we’ve got young fellers who we drafted last year who will be better for a run from last year's season. Ricky Petterd look like he was going to have a boomer season and unfortunately had that lung injury which cut it short. We've got a lot of young guys as we keep harping on that are 23 and under and that will continue to improve and we'll be putting a lot more resources into our development and coaching structure than we have in the past. This is not really my area to talk about but we’ll have probably a couple of development coaches, an innovations coach so we’ll be putting a lot more into our playing group to help them improve.

TL: Craig, I know you can't put it to numbers but just going back to question of one in and one out, was Melbourne willing to trade more if the right player was there and if so what sort of players would you have been prepared to look at to be a bit more active in the trade week?

CAC Well I'm not going to talk about names obviously but we were in a position if the right deal was available then we would have looked at players to trade out because as I keep saying for the next three years our strategy is to try and bring a fresh group of youngsters through. But you've got to balance that up with competing each year. You've got to make sure that your fans have a feeling that you're going out and competing each year. We've got to remember that we’ve played through the last four or five finals series and last year was a complete aberration, or so we're hoping. So we don't want to completely cut the guts out of our group because as I said we've got more support coming for our players in terms of coaching staff so we're hoping that will give us a lift.

DR: Craig, now all about the draft. You've got pick four in the draft. No doubt you'd hope that Matthew Kreuzer or Trent Cotchin is available when your pick comes around. Who do you think Carlton will draft with pick one, Kreuzer or Cotchin?

CAC: I think it's a very hard choice Dwayne but if either of them are there when it comes down to pick four one of them will very quickly come out my mouth I promise you. I think it's a hard choice. Carlton will probably are looking to get a young ruckman into the system so Kreuzer seems to be the favourite one but Trent Cotchin is a very talented player.

DR: There's word that Richmond might go with the two Mortons and take Cale Morton with pick two and leave Trent Cotchin to go to the West Coast Eagles with pick three. You’ll be no doubt investigating that kind of thing over the next few weeks. Is that what you're hearing?

CAC: I'm hearing that. I'm also hearing that they're very keen on Trent Cotchin. Look, Cale Morton is a very good player and I've got no doubt that if he gets selected at pick 2 he gets selected on his merits rather than because his brother's there. He won the medal at the Under 18 championships, he's close enough to 192 centimetres, he can run a 15.2 beep. He's outstanding in his talent so either selection, Cotchin or Morton, I don't think you could question it to be honest.

TL: Yeah. And the point you make is good too. Three in the first twenty-one. Just as a general question. Two players. You've assessed them as being of equal ability, maybe a slight leaning but not much to the interstate player do you go with them or do you have to sort of catch your breath. We've just seen even with Chris Judd, I know he's mature in his career but wanting to return home. Will that come into your thinking whether you go for the local lad as opposed to someone from interstate who, for all intents and purposes just might be slightly better?

CAC: Yeah, look that's the old chestnut Tony. Understand that we worry about that a little bit but rarely do you get the situation where two players are equal. I've got to say that I know this programme doesn't go to Perth but that doesn't matter. When I was at Fremantle in 1996 I sat on a draft table and a decision was made on Michael Braun or a local East Fremantle fellow and I think the leaning was always towards Michael Braun but in the end they chose the local feller because he was local. Michael Braun has gone on to play 200 games of AFL footy and Matthew Clucas was the other player. I'm not sure that he even played 20 games of AFL football. I was only working part time for Fremantle at the time but it taught me a good lesson that you think the player who you think is the best regardless of where they come from and back your system to keep them.

TL: And just a last one on TJ because he was probably the second biggest move of the last week. How did TJ take the news? Was he ready to go or disappointed with what happened?

CAC: Look I think he was shattered initially as you would be. He was only 17 when he came to our footy club. He was still going to school. He's basically grown up at Melbourne. I had a good chat with Travis yesterday before the finish of the trade and I said, "Mate, you've got a really good opportunity at Brisbane." They've still got a better than solid midfield so he's not going to attract the tags as he necessarily attracts them with us and I said that it's really important for him to finish off his career and be recognised as Travis Johnstone the star. That's what I think his challenge is – to take all the talent that he's got and we've seen from time to time - actually bundle it up together and become a star. And leave the game when people say "that Travis Johnstone he was a really good player."

DR: How much of his total greatness, his talent did he show at Melbourne? 90%? 92%?

CAC: Oh Dwayne, I really couldn't put a number on that. You could probably answer that as well as I could. We probably think there's a little bit more for him to give.

DR: That was the point of the question to see if you said 100% and I think the majority of the people would suggest that it's somewhere below that?

CAC: I've got no doubt and there’s been a number of issues surrounding that. His body hasn't allowed him to train as hard as you need a midfielder to train these days. Travis is a lad and enjoys his life as young blokes do and from time to time that may have held him back. I just really hope that he goes to Brisbane and ends up Travis Johnstone the star. As I said to him yesterday, he was the first selection I had in a national draft when I was at Melbourne and so it's hard to move those guys because they grow up in your system and I've known him for ten years.

DR: Craig, we thank you for your time and good luck with pick four.

CAC: Thank you very much.

TL: And 14 and 21.

DR: Well it's a 4, Kreuzer won't be there and probably not Cotchin or Morton.

Sports Today Saturday Edition can be heard every Saturday from noon to 2.00pm on 3AW - 693 on your AM dial.