Geelong coach Chris Scott has dismissed concerns over Jeremy Cameron's surgically-repaired arm, despite the star forward appearing to be in discomfort several times during the Cats' nine-point loss to Fremantle on Thursday night.
Cameron underwent surgery after breaking his right arm in last year's grand final defeat to Brisbane, and he continues to experience nerve issues from that injury. The 33-year-old seemed to aggravate the same arm when tackled by Fremantle ruckman Mason Cox in the third quarter of the blockbuster in Perth. Later in that quarter, he was again in pain after a hit from Pat Voss, protecting his arm.
Cameron finished with two goals from six disposals and has also been managing a hip issue, but Scott maintains the arm is fine. Despite Scott's reassurance, Cameron appeared cautious and hesitant in attack, with AFL expert Kane Cornes highlighting a moment in the third term when Cameron failed to attempt a tackle, allowing the Dockers to score.
"Wow, I just don't think Jeremy Cameron's right at all with judging by this effort to tackle. Look at Jeremy Cameron just there, does not even attempt to tackle. Nup, just runs straight around him, arms sore, big story for Geelong and Jeremy Cameron," Cornes said.
Geelong will regain Tom Stewart (concussion) and Bailey Smith (illness) after their bye, when they face Brisbane on July 2. Scott hopes the break will also help Cameron freshen up.
"I think the bye will come at a good time for him in a general sense," Scott said. "The feedback that we've got around him is that he's had this sort of arm injury and we have a very conservative approach with these things. If that was really restricting him, or there was any potential for further damage, we wouldn't be playing him."
The Cats led by 28 points midway through the second quarter before Fremantle rallied to win 14.15 (99) to 14.6 (90), extending their winning streak to 13 games. Geelong now holds a 9-6 record, but Scott remains optimistic.
"I don't think we come away from the game devastated at where we're at," Scott said. "We had the chance to win the game. We thought we gave ourselves enough chances to really put them under pressure, and just couldn't get it done in the end. But if you take a step back, which we'll get a chance to do with the bye coming up, I suspect our takeaway will be we feel like we're in a spot where we can have a crack at it. We came away at least with our confidence in our game intact."
