YOU could make a fair argument that Charlie Cameron is playing as high a level of football as at any stage of his illustrious 261-game career.

Brisbane's dynamic small forward would be an almost unanimous All-Australian selection one third of the way through the season with his hellacious defensive pressure and wizardry around goal the perfect combination for his role.

It's a far cry from where he was 12 months ago.

Cameron endured a difficult 2025 to say the least, struggling to recapture the form that had seen him earn two All-Australian blazers (2019 and 2023) and a reputation as one of this generation's best small forwards.

Lions coach Chris Fagan has a theory on why Cameron was below his best last year.

"I think he set the bar too high for himself last year because he'd achieved so much over the previous two years," Fagan said last week.

"Sometimes when you do that and fall short, you lose confidence.

"I think he's better at setting his goals now and he knows what makes him play well and he focuses on that."

Fagan's staunch belief in his players is famous, and it was Cameron's turn to be the beneficiary last year, despite kicking just 32 goals with a per-game average lower than any time since heading north from Adelaide at the end of 2017.

When his team needed it most, Cameron delivered, kicking four goals on Grand Final day and being a difference maker when the game was up for grabs.

That legacy-defining performance has flowed on into 2026.

Cameron, still just 31, is roaring. Among small forwards, his 16 goals trails only Nick 'the Wizard' Watson's 18. He has eight direct goal assists, but as noticeable as his eye-catching play with the ball, is his pressure without it.

In Sunday's win against Adelaide, he not only kicked four goals, but laid five tackles.

An easy statistic to correlate with Cameron's play is his tackles inside 50. When he was routinely among the best small forwards in the AFL, he was in the top three in this category. He is equal third through seven rounds alongside Francis Evans and Ben Long, behind only Lachie Schultz and Joe Richards.

"He had a tough year last year, but in the end, he came through," Fagan said.

"He's always a pretty happy guy. He even was last year when he was battling a little bit."

Cameron's reputation is iron-clad. He has 452 career goals, already putting him in the same conversation as Jeff Farmer (483), Luke Breust (553) and Stephen Milne (574) as this century's best pure small forward.

Contracted until the end of 2028, who knows how far the two-time premiership player could go, but his pizzazz and hunger are back, spelling danger for opposition small defenders.