#19 Cameron Wood

[Dave The Man]

[Dave The Man]

I am Jumping on and Is anyone else going to Join in

We Finally have a Good Young Ruckman and Someone to Finally Help Fraser(Sight for Sore Eyes Yesterday)

Has Good Ruck Skills, Good Mark, Good Around the Ground and a Straight Kick for Goal

[optimax]

im in the big cam has certainly impressed me so far.

i just want to point out in 04 when richards won best first year player (in his third ) i was also impressed by him

[skaman]

Just gotta love having the big Woody!

[favourites 2008]

14 disposals, 16 hitouts, 2 goals in 66 minutes against the eagles

[Dave The Man]

[Dave The Man]

Wood flourishes in Magpie climate

Jon Ralph | March 21, 2008 12:00am

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WHEN Cameron Wood's manager mentioned his likely new home late last year, it dawned on the Brisbane Lions ruckman that his football career had changed forever.

There are high-profile destinations and successful football clubs, and then there is Collingwood.

Wood, who had formerly kept a low-profile existence as an emerging Lions ruckman, was about to land at football's epicentre.

"My manager said with about a month left in the season, some clubs were inquiring, and I thought, 'That's interesting, but let's wait until the season finishes'," Wood said this week, before his Collingwood debut tomorrow.

"Then when he first said Collingwood, I was like, 'Phew, they are the biggest football club in Australia'. As soon as I got here with the Lexus Centre and the photos on the walls and premierships, it was pretty exciting. It is a great honour to play for Collingwood. It's like the kid says in the Telstra ad -- "My dad played for Collingwood".

That Wood is at the Lexus Centre at all is a combination of luck and circumstances, with the 204cm beanpole considered a potential star at Brisbane less than 12 months ago.

The former West Adelaide junior and No. 18 draft pick started his third season with the Lions in rich form, playing the entire NAB Cup then earning a Rising Star nod within the first month of the season.

Then came a seven-week stretch in the reserves in which Matthew Leuenberger quickly became the first back-up to Jamie Charman.

With that pair and Beau McDonald ahead of him, Wood's manager sealed a trade for the Pies' pick 14, only for McDonald to retire on the verge of the 2008 season.

"I don't know (if they would have released me)," Wood said.

"Charman and Leuenberger were probably still ahead of me, but I don't think Brisbane would have let me go. I was still under contract.

"For me it was just opportunity. I was happy in Brisbane with the club and my mates living there, and my mum had moved up there. Everything was going really well and then I got moved back to the ressies and I only played four games for the rest of the year."

The five months he has been at Collingwood have been a whirlwind of training and new experiences.

Josh Fraser's poster was up on his Wood's wall as a junior -- now he is training alongside him every day.

But it was an inauspicious start: he failed to finish his first time-trial in black and white after nerves and a case of gastro hit hard.

"He ran the worst he's ever run in his life," commented coach Mick Malthouse at the time.

"I just wanted to run, but it looked a bit silly," Wood said.

But the altitude sessions in South Africa have combined with extra running sessions with assistant Guy McKenna to add critical mobility to his ruck package.

"In Brisbane the emphasis was on putting on weight through the pre-season so this is the first pre-season where I have finally got fit," he said.

Then, finally, came the NAB Cup and practice series.

Wood was rested in the Dubai loss to Adelaide, but since then has very much looked the part.

He has rucked solidly, shown pack-marking ability desperately needed at Collingwood and tellingly pushed forward from the centre square to kick a handful of goals.

Mum Sue, who raised her only child as a single parent, will fly over from Adelaide for tomorrow's game.

If Wood once hoped for a "redraw" after being traded to Brisbane, he's now at a club that draws attention like few others and is feeling very much at home.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/ ... 42,00.html

[Proud Pies]

having watched him at the Shepparton game, I was pretty impressed with him. Hope he lives up to that.

[flamebender]

Just what we needed. Great pick up. Very versatile. Definitely a key player for the future.

Take a bow, you did yourself proud.

Get that up you Matthews!!!

[skaman]

You could hear the sighs of pleasure every time Woody palmed straight down to one of our blokes. His second efforts were terrific too. How he never got a free when he tackled that oversized stick insect in the goal square is beyond me. Pinged. Dropped it cold.
We've picked up a winner in Wood.

[HAL]

Are we still talking about he never got a free when he tackled that oversized stick insect in the goal square is him or her? Can you speak any foreign languages? What do you have that is it?

[nomad pie]

Wood played a major contributing role in 4 goals and hit a poster himself. A fantastic first time effort.

Well done Woody!!

[loki04]

Great game by Wood showed some great signs, he was our only ruckman to beat Sandilands at the centre bounce. If Fraser isn't careful he could find himself as a 2nd stringer.

[nomad pie]

Wood on today's performance was better in the Ruck.

[GreekLunatic]

I think we found the ruckman we have asked for since Monkey. Also Sandihands is a dud due to being that tall he should have dominated more.