There were myriad reasons that star ruck Darcy Cameron wanted to extend his time at the AIA Vitality Centre and the Magpie Army can take credit for one of them.

Listing his love and care for his teammates, the world-class coaching staff the Pies boast, the brilliant facilities and much more, Cameron was also eager to point out the passion of the black and white supporter base.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the Club, they took me in after one game at the Swans and showed so much faith in me so I’m just happy to repay them,” Cameron said having signed on for three more years.

“There are multiple reasons (for staying), the group we have here is really special.

“I think being the biggest Club in the land and having the best supporters too is something special and you get to play in front of big crowds each week.

“The coaching staff, the admin, everyone around here, they care about you as a person too so it made it a really easy decision.”

As Cameron alluded to, he arrived at Collingwood as a little-known tall with just one game under his belt.

That was at the end of 2019 and he sought a fresh opportunity interstate. Fast forward six years, the 204cm Pie has added 115 games to that tally and is one of the premier rucks in the competition.

Crediting the belief his coaches have instilled in him, Cameron was typically humble in palming off the praise for his rise to those around him.

“I think how much trust they have in you, I just know that I dealt a lot with Hayden Skipworth early in my career and then Scott Selwood and then Fly, they just have so much trust and belief in you that it’s infectious,” he said.

“You see that throughout the group whoever comes in here, they become better players and I think that’s the main thing.

“Frase (Head of Development Josh Fraser) had a big impact especially in 2022 when Brodie (Grundy) went down and I sort of had to take on the reins of the ruck that year.

“Frase was really big for me and gave me that trust like is aid before about Skip and Scott and Fly.

“He’s just really calm about the way he goes about everything, knows when to have a laugh, knows when to be serious and he’s pretty much everyone’s favourite coach around here.”

With his tenure being extended and his game growing every week, Cameron has also assumed a higher role in the leadership stakes – particularly with the young rucks the Pies have.

With Oscar Steene and Iliro Smit developing strongly, Cameron said he and fellow experienced tall Mason Cox had put a high priority on sharing their wisdom with the young pair.

“I try to do my best guiding them, me and (Mason) Coxy share the load and sit down with them with vision and talk about their games during the week,” he said.

“They’re coming along really well and they’ve got a lot of great strengths and I’m excited to see how they come along in the coming years.”