JEREMY Cameron\u2019s claims of being the best player in the competition have received a boost after being nominated by a current coach.<\/p>\n
Sam Mitchell has named him alongside Tom Stewart as the most influential players in the league, with the Hawthorn mentor stating the duo provide Geelong with a unique advantage because of the way they play.<\/p>\n
\u201cBest is probably the wrong word, but the most influential players is probably Jeremy Cameron and Tom Stewart,\u201d Mitchell said on SEN Breakfast.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Tom Stewart is playing, he\u2019s like an extra man, and when you need to win a game probably Jeremy Cameron is the one you want in your side because he\u2019s such a difficult matchup and can do so many things.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth are Geelong, so it\u2019s hard to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
SEN Breakfast co-hosts David King and Kane Cornes have both rated Cameron as their best player in the game after the 29-year-old booted a career-high 65 goals in 2022 on the way to Geelong\u2019s premiership.<\/p>\n
Cameron is rated a $67 chance for this year’s Brownlow Medal.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Stewart has four All-Australian blazers in just six full seasons which is an incredible statistic for a player plucked out of local football.<\/p>\n
Hawthorn and Geelong will face off on Easter Monday in round four.<\/p>\n
Mitchell added that Sydney\u2019s Errol Gulden was his personal favourite player.<\/p>\n
At just 20 years of age, Gulden has proved he\u2019s a star of the future and has roared into the game\u2019s elite territory this year by averaging career highs in disposals (26), tackles (4), inside 50s (7), rebound 50s (4) and clearances (3).<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are personal favourites, and after watching Sydney last week Errol Gulden has gone pretty close to the top of that personal file,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
As for in-form clubs, it\u2019s hard to go past Collingwood after its start to the season.<\/p>\n
Craig McRae has his side humming, winning the opening two games by a combined margin of 93 points.<\/p>\n
Mitchell has been particularly impressed by the way the Magpies have defended under McRae, becoming a stingy side as well as one of the most watchable teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think their ability to press from defence\u2026 when you watch a game live and you\u2019re playing against Collingwood, you see so many opportunities with someone free ahead of the ball,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they\u2019re so manic in their pressure and when to press and when to put pressure on the ball, it\u2019s very rare that a team gets out the back of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they\u2019ve set up their defence has been really, really well done. Fly\u2019s [McRae] obviously got a lot of their info from Richmond and they\u2019re very similar in the way they\u2019ve defended in recent history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collingwood has been wound into premiership favouritism as a result of their hot start to the year.<\/p>\n