Drew Cameron has entered uncharted territory this week as he prepares to play in the first grand final of his football career.
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Cameron, in his first year as Cudgewa coach, has led the Blues to the Upper Murray decider and a showdown with Bullioh on Saturday.
The former Mitta United spearhead, 32, declared himself a non-playing coach when he signed at Cudgewa last October but made his comeback in round four against Tumbarumba and hasn't looked back.
Injuries meant Cameron had only played one game in three years leading into 2023 but he's rolled back the years with 52 goals in nine outings for his new club.
"The nerves were pretty high before that first game," Cameron said.
"But once the ball got thrown up, I was fine and the nerves quickly went.
"That first quarter of football, you're trying to find your way back in and remembering which way to run and when to run, the timing of everything, but once you get that back, it's smooth sailing."
![We caught up with Cudgewa coach Drew Cameron ahead of the Upper Murray grand final. Picture by Mark Jesser We caught up with Cudgewa coach Drew Cameron ahead of the Upper Murray grand final. Picture by Mark Jesser](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/c771f8af-9513-447f-a80a-0701dc1d78dc.jpg/r0_0_2400_1349_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Cameron kicked one goal on debut and then started to go through the gears, nailing seven against Bullioh, eight against Corryong and 10 in the next meeting with the Demons.
"At first, I thought if I can have a run around and just help the boys make the side better, that's what my job was going to be," Cameron said.
"But then Nick Brockley went down with a hand injury in my first game and missed eight weeks.
"It quickly changed to me going into Brocky's role and now he's back, I'm more of a hybrid, up the ground a little bit."
Cudgewa's forward line is the envy of most district clubs with Cameron, Brockley and Adam Prior having kicked 156 goals between them this year.
"The three of us have played the same position (throughout our careers) and you get used to being 'the guy' so we're lucky we've got three," Cameron said.
"At times, I'll be up on the wing, at times 'Brocky' will be up on the wing and at times, 'Adsy' will get up the ground as well.
![Drew Cameron in action for the Blues against Tumbarumba. Picture by James Wiltshire Drew Cameron in action for the Blues against Tumbarumba. Picture by James Wiltshire](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/56c92041-1e22-44df-928b-830416e04ff9.JPG/r0_0_4622_3081_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I think that's important when you have three full-forwards, that they are all understanding they can't just be the one guy because otherwise it falls down.
"I'm blessed with Nick and Adam, that we all feel the same way.
"If I've got a good match-up, I'll push deep and they'll push up - and vice versa.
"It's certainly pleasing to kick a few goals, as any forward will tell you, but for us it doesn't matter who gets them as long as we're moving and mixing the way we want to inside forward 50."
Cameron's the first to admit he's not the world's most demonstrative coach, preferring to leave the motivational speeches to Mitch Pynappels and let his footy do the talking.
"I love being one of the boys," Cameron said.
"That's why I started playing footy when I was five or six years old.
![Cudgewa coach Drew Cameron. Picture by Mark Jesser Cudgewa coach Drew Cameron. Picture by Mark Jesser](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131362666/25b8d4e4-cbde-4110-8b1c-870d3b6b5fd9.jpg/r0_0_5356_3571_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I don't bark orders at the boys, I want them to feel as comfortable as possible come game time.
"Every coach will tell you the job has its challenges and certainly being a first-year coach, I don't have any prior experience to fall on so it's important to have strong people around me to help with that.
"I've got Dayne Carey as my assistant coach, Peter Bensted, who had been tied up with North Albury and Mitch Pynappels, who's a pretty strong leader up there and knows the people really well."
Having played for Cobram, Wodonga Saints, Walla and Rutherglen before spending the largest chunk of his career at Mitta, heading out to the Upper Murray League this year has represented a very different challenge for Cameron.
"I couldn't be happier with the club," he said.
"They're brilliant people, very professional but very welcoming as well every time my partner, my parents and in-laws have been out there.
"The league itself has been really good too.
"Four teams is four teams, you can't sugar-coat that, but three of us - and, at times, Corryong - have been really competitive.
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"We're a strong-scoring side so we're always going to score pretty well but the game looks a lot more one-sided than it actually feels on the day.
"We beat Corryong by 200 points at one point but I felt like their midfield dominated.
"It's one of those things where you can't afford to be 10 percent off at any stage, otherwise you'll get bitten pretty hard.
"We know that about Bullioh this week; if we're not 100 percent, they're well-coached and well-drilled, they're tough and if they find a weakness, they'll exploit it."
Cudgewa are undefeated since Cameron took over and now he's just one step away from the Holy Grail.
"I've never experienced grand final week myself so it's really exciting," he said.
"The club's put in a lot of work to get back to a position of power and I think eight out of our 10 sides are in this week so it's going to be brilliant to rock up to our home ground and have 80 percent of our sides playing
"It should be a sea of navy blue and we're really looking forward to it."
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