THE FIRST game of Darcy Cameron's AFL career was a Sydney loss at the SCG.

Now, the Swan-turned-Magpie will return to the same venue for the biggest game of his career, hoping for the same result - just with him on the other side.

Cameron's AFL debut in round 18, 2018, a home loss to Gold Coast, proved his only senior game at Sydney before he moved to Collingwood at the end of 2019.

"It was a lot of reward for effort, but at the same time it was disappointing," he said after Collingwood's semi-final win against Fremantle on Saturday night.

"I didn't perform the way I wanted to, and we lost to Gold Coast for the first time at the SCG."

Cameron has since played 51 games for the Magpies, including the win over the Dockers that teed up a preliminary final against his former club.

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"Obviously I had a bit of a lack of opportunity when I left," he said.

"I'm not going to say I had a chip on my shoulder or anything but I love football, I love playing with my mates.

"I respect the people that have been able to back me in, like Collingwood, my family, my friends, my partner. I'm just glad to make them proud and myself proud.

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"No grudge against Sydney or anything."

When Cameron left the Swans three years ago, he was deemed as their third ruck option behind Sam Naismith and Callum Sinclair. Since then, the luckless Naismith has continued his horror injury run, Sinclair has retired and the Swans have instead turned to journeyman Tom Hickey, who was one of their best in their qualifying final win over Melbourne 10 days ago.

Cameron still has plenty of friends at Sydney, including Callum Mills, Tom Papley, Tom McCartin and Harry Cunningham.

"I stay in touch with a lot of those boys, and am mates with them," he said.

"But as soon as that siren goes, you forget about all that. I want to win this as much as any other person on that field.

"They're great fellas, but as soon as that siren goes, they won't be my mates anymore."

Cameron will instead focus on a different mate; his ruck-forward partnership with resurgent big man Mason Cox, which has grown in stature this year due to the serious injury to key tall, Brodie Grundy.

"I'm happy to give up a bit of time if his tail's hot," he said.

"You can see what he does. He marks the ball at its highest point, he gets the crowd involved, everyone loves him when he takes a big grab.

"We're a great combination at the moment, I enjoy working with him."

The Magpies lost to Sydney by 27 points at the SCG in round 22 but Cameron took heart from the result.

"We didn't play to our ability that game and we look back at it, we only lost by five or so goals," he said.

"It's exciting that we didn't play the way we wanted to and we didn't get absolutely pantsed."