As a Brisbane Lions Academy player, Clay Cameron always dreamed of one day pulling on that club’s Guernsey at the Gabba, but on the eve of his debut QClash match, the now Gold Coast backman says he “wouldn’t rather be anywhere else”.

For much of his junior playing days, Cameron developed and nurtured his football through the Brisbane Lions talent development program, designed for aspiring AFL players between the ages of 12 and 18 years.

It was there he refined the skills that have helped him rise through the junior ranks to the AFL.

“I joined the Lions Academy when I was 13-14,” Cameron recalled.

“Luke Curren (Lions player talent coach) and the staff up there identified me pretty early and were great for my development.”

He trained at the Lions’ elite high performance centre three days a week and crossed many of the Lions’ star players in the corridors when he would pass through the club’s many facilities. 

“When I was 16 they stepped up the academy program, and I went from training two-three times a week. I got to develop under all the good coaches and definitely excelled through the experience,” he said.

Given the Lions’ status at the time as the Queensland’s only AFL team, logically Cameron assumed his only opportunity to play senior football in his home state was by going through the Academy and onto the Lions’ senior playing list.  But when Gold Coast successfully lobbied for the 17^th AFL licence, Cameron realised his chances of playing AFL football in Queensland had doubled.   

Sure enough, the established draft concessions awarded to Scott Clayton and the Gold Coast SUNS saw the master scout swoop on Cameron in 2012 with the club’s last priority zone selection. 

For Cameron, it couldn’t have worked out more perfect.

He resides in the city’s western suburbs, a ten-minute drive from the Gold Coast’s training and administration base, and treasures the players’ beach recovery sessions.

“Gold Coast is such a great place. I am still close to family and friends and now living with Dad as well,” he said.

“It is such an awesome place and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”

It’s a sobering turn of events for Gold Coast’s bigger brother, who nurtured but failed to acquire such a promising long-term key position player. 

Just days away from his first QClash match, Cameron said he was looking forward to playing against his former development club. 

“They are always competitive the Brisbane Lions,” Cameron said.

‘They’re only an hour up the road so we see each other a fair bit.

“They’ll think they have an edge over us and obviously have five wins in a row so we’ll be looking to change that this week.”