'They put faith in me and I wanted to repay that': Inside Pie's decision to stay

Darcy Cameron reveals why loyalty and culture kept him at Collingwood despite a strong pull from his home state of WA

Darcy Cameron celebrates a goal during Collingwood's clash against Melbourne in round 24, 2024. Picture: Getty Images

DARCY Cameron never wanted to leave Collingwood. Sydney had dragged him across the country when he was a 21-year-old scaffolder playing in the WAFL. But the Magpies had developed him into one of the best rucks in the AFL.

It's why he was never tempted by the prospect of returning to Western Australia.

West Coast tried to lure him back to Perth, where he had relocated from Albany to complete Year 12 at Hale School and stayed to play for Claremont after being overlooked in the 2013 AFL Draft. But that neck of the woods isn't home.

Home is now Collingwood.

The 30-year-old was relieved the speculation swirling around his future ended when he signed a three-year extension a few weeks ago that locks him in until the end of 2029, after the Magpies came to the party at the start of August.

"Honestly early in the year, it was definitely 'No, let’s get this [Collingwood extension] done'. Then, as the season went on, I had to start thinking about it a little bit [about leaving], even though I didn't want to. But the decision became pretty clear towards the end of the year. I'm really grateful that it got done," Cameron told AFL.com.au at the AIA Centre.

"I was really grateful for the club taking me in at a really hard time in my career. I'd played one game at the Swans and came in here and I was pinch-hitting for Brodie. They put a lot of faith in me and I wanted to repay that.

"I've built so many connections here and I really didn't want to leave that and start brand new. We've got such a good culture here, it's a winning culture as well, we are really competitive and I think we are going to be for the next few years; I feel like Collingwood is in contention no matter what, that was a part of my decision for sure."

Craig McRae celebrates Collingwood's win over Melbourne with Darcy Cameron and Darcy Moore in round 24, 2025. Picture: Getty Images

Cameron joined Collingwood at the end of 2019 on a three-year contract after just one appearance in three seasons at Sydney, then signed another three-year deal midway through 2022. He wasn't out-of-contract until the end of next year, but his performance across the past three years had changed his value.

The West Australian transformed from speculative back-up to become a premiership player in 2023, runner-up in the Copeland Trophy last year and then entrenched his status as one of the best rucks in the League in 2025. The problem was, he was still getting paid like a back-up. And almost everyone across the industry knew it.

Collingwood's senior players made it clear to Craig McRae and Justin Leppitsch they didn't want to lose him, especially with Carlton in the market for someone to replace Tom De Koning and the Eagles trying to bring him closer to home. Cameron blocked out the noise for much of the year, but was thrilled when his manager, Colin Young from Young Guns Talent, negotiated the deal they were looking for.

"I actually found the speculation OK. I was able to put that behind me when I walked into the club and on game day," Cameron said.

"I feel like there are a lot of players out there going through much harder times than me, people playing for contracts or out of contract, injuries or whatever it may be. I was in a really lucky situation that I’ve got offers on the table and had to keep reminding myself of that. As soon as it started creeping into my mind a bit, I said these are off or we are doing it now. I'm just happy it's done now."

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Collingwood has dramatically changed the course of Cameron's life, but so has being forced to be patient. Ruckmen take time. He didn't debut for the Swans until 23. He didn't play his first game for Collingwood until he was almost 25. And he didn't become the main guy until Craig McRae's first season in 2022.

Cameron had a taste of life in the real world when he was playing for Claremont. 6am starts in the yard before eight hours scaffolding in the Perth heat, then off to footy training. Repeat. Life as a full-time footballer certainly beats that. It did when he was playing NEAFL, and it certainly does now he plays for Collingwood.

"The journey in itself has impacted my life the most," he said. "Spent three or four years scaffolding, then go to the Swans and three years there full of life lessons. Got a bit complacent there. But coming to Collingwood you are just around good people and a good culture. I had people pushing me in the right direction like coaches, close friends and family. 'Fly' (McRae) comes in in '22 and shapes me as a person and the club as a whole.

"I was always really stubborn early days about ruckmen taking longer. I was like 'Bullshit, I feel like I can play now'. I look back and I was so naive to think that; we just take longer to harden and get used to the knocks, the work rate, the match fitness. It makes me appreciate it now. But it does take us a bit longer to appreciate it. Hopefully it sets us up for a longer career."

Scott Pendlebury and Darcy Cameron ahead of Collingwood's clash with Fremantle in round 19, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

McRae has had a seismic impact on Cameron, not just the footballer, but the person. Last September also left a mark on the 204cm ruckman. Watching on during the month that matters most, rather than being out there, drove him across the off-season and motored the group all pre-season.

"It definitely does [motivate us]. We pretty much finished up on a Friday night last year against Melbourne. It was a piss up all weekend, then you get to this time right now and you think about what you're missing out on. That is when it really started to sink in and you spend the next four weeks just watching other teams play," he said.

"It hurt us because we'd just started peaking at that time of year and were playing good footy. That drove a real hunger in us over the pre-season. We sit fourth on the ladder. The fact we are there now, we can just let some shit go and go into the finals really confident."

The Magpies return to September after a one-year absence and head to South Australia for a hostile qualifying final against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, just over a fortnight after the AFL's Integrity Unit handed Izak Rankine a four-game suspension for a homophobic slur directed at a Collingwood player in the round 23 game.

Collingwood lost that game by three points, ending a 10-game winning streak against the Crows that dated back to 2016. The Magpies have won four of seven interstate finals this century, including both in South Australia – 2002 qualifying final over Port Adelaide at Football Park and 2008 elimination final over Adelaide at Football Park.

"I think the Magpie Army will turn up, they always do. When we played the Swans in that 2022 prelim they overtook the SCG crowd before the first bounce and that gave me goosebumps. They are going to be a really hostile crowd," he said.

"We get real confidence from when we played them two weeks ago; that was a hostile crowd, finals-like game, we played really well; we need to tidy up some things on offence and we might have won that game. We enjoy that environment."

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With his future finally settled, Cameron has booked a golf trip in Vietnam this off-season with mates. But that will have to wait. This season, unlike last year, still has at least two games left, potentially more if things go to plan for Collingwood.

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