"Greatest since...": The star Lion that belongs in all-time conversations

Charlie Cameron has put together one of the great September resumes.

So much so that his former teammate Josh Jenkins believes he deserves to be mentioned amongst the greatest.

The Brisbane Lions are through to their fifth consecutive Preliminary Final, downing the Adelaide Crows with a statement 53-point win at the Gabba.

Their win was anchored by a blistering start, booting five goals within 433 seconds – one of which came off the boot of their premier small forward.

It didn’t stop there for Cameron, who piled on four goals from seven scores in the first half alone, en route to a game-high five-goal haul.

Looking back on his September record, Cameron’s CV is more than just impressive, with multiple goals in 17 of his 29 finals for both Brisbane and Adelaide.

Jenkins believes it’s enough to suggest some serious conversations.

“I’m going to pose a part-question, part-statement here,” Jenkins told SEN Crunch Time.

“I’ve been looking through some of the guys who have been magnificent in September, and I’m talking about the small forwards.

“In terms of living memory, and the time I’ve been following the game and the guys I know played just before I started following the game – Charlie Cameron is the greatest small forward in finals since…

“You can go back and tell us who is better and who has a better record. Cameron’s record in finals is unbelievable. He’s got longevity and he’s got performance in big games.

“29 finals for 58 goals 31. For a small forward, elite numbers. He kicked five in the 2017 Preliminary Final as a Crow – that was a match-winning performance early in the game.

“Kicked eight goals in two finals in 2021, kicked three goals in the losing Grand Final in 2023, kicked seven goals across their premiership campaign of 2024 and kicked four goals in last year’s premiership.

“Only four goalless games from a small forward across 29 finals – his record is unbelievable. I’ve been looking all morning – I went to Luke Breust, I went to a few others from the Cats.

“I went back before that time... in terms of the stats on paper - influence is different because you’ve got to watch the games - Charlie Cameron’s record stacks up with anybody’s.”

With 58 goals, Cameron currently sits 16th for most finals goals in AFL history, the most of any small forward across history.

The 32-year-old sits behind only Lance Franklin amongst players to debut this century and nine goals clear in top spot amongst active players.

Another four goals will propel Cameron into the top 10 of all time, 14 goals off the top five.

Gordon Coventry leads all comers with 111 finals goals from 31 games.