Jeremy Cameron is confident a run of frustrating soft-tissue injuries is behind him as he sets his sights on a career-best AFL season in his second year at Geelong.
The 28-year-old key forward suffered three serious hamstring injuries in 2021, which limited him to 15 of a possible 25 games for the Cats after his big-money move from GWS.
The first setback came during the pre-season and delayed Cameron's debut for his new club to round six.
But his preparation for 2022 has been far smoother, with the only hurdle so far coming in the form of a brief stint in isolation under COVID-19 protocols.
Cameron is eager to take part in Geelong's practice matches over the coming weeks and is on track for the round-one battle with Essendon at the MCG on March 19.
"At this stage I'm very confident (in my body)," Cameron said.
"I don't want to jinx myself and talk about it too much ... but the amount of work I've done on the back of last year and the back half of the season, I've made sure I've carried that right through the off-season and into the pre-season.
"I think it was really important not to have too many breaks with that, especially with my lower leg stuff and hamstring work and strength in my lower body.
"That's something I really sat down with the medicos at the end of the year and worked on, and made sure I put it in place.
"I made sure that was a big part of my program going forward.
"To get all the work in and see the results when you compare the two pre-seasons is pretty exciting to see."
Cameron kicked 39 goals as Geelong's second most prolific forward last year behind fellow key target Tom Hawkins (62), helping the Cats reach a preliminary final.
But the one-time Coleman medallist, who topped the league's goalkicking with 76 majors for GWS in 2019, still has another level he can get to as he chases a premiership.
"I want it personally to be my best season I've ever had," Cameron said.
"I think most players say that coming into a year really fit.
"Last year I definitely didn't play the best football I could.
"I thought at times I started to get there and then I had another setback, which was the most frustrating part."
