Leon Cameron on pathways for south-west players and staff, being back at country footy

The 256-game player, who until recently coached GWS Giants for more than eight seasons, was on the sidelines of a North Warrnambool and South Warrnambool blockbuster on Saturday as part WorkSafe's Country Club program.

"Football is a tough game but a wonderful game," Cameron said. "My take on it is, I was young when I went to Melbourne but there is so many opportunities for kids. Yes the draft age is 18, but I think we see more and more mature age players getting drafted.

"In terms of staffing, coaches, high performance and administration, I love that people aim to get to a high high performance place like a football club. Whether you're from Warrnambool, Woolsthorpe, Caramut or Bushfield, it doesn't matter, if you've got high ambitions, go for it."

Despite watching on as former club South Warrnambool suffered its first loss of the season, Cameron was pleased to see the rivalries of the south-west remain strong.

"It's good game, a close game," he said. "I caught up with both coaches before the game and there is nothing better than having rivalries, whether it's Warrnambool-South, North-South. What's most pleasing though is there is lots of people at the netball, lots at the football, and that's what I was used to at Carumut or East. The crowd's buzzing."

Cameron said he enjoyed reminiscing with old friends and seeing young kids having fun with friends at the football.

"It's good to see that is well and truly alive, especially after the last couple years everyone has experienced," he said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Now just one tap with our new app: Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with The Standard: