GOOD to have you out there, Ben.
After a past few months which he conceded was “a bit of a tricky time’”, Ben Camporeale got the chance to pull on the Navy Blue jumper for the first time on Friday night, featuring for the Carlton Reserves in their season opener to Box Hill.
Despite the Blues going down by four points, Camporeale finding himself in the thick of the action when he came into the game in the second half, as the Blues threatened to overturn a 32-point deficit in the final term only to fall agonisingly short.
Playing in the midfield, Camporeale amassed 13 disposals in the second half as part of a youthful Blues contingent.
“Nobody likes sitting on the bench watching from afar when your team is playing! It was good - the nerves built up, having not played for a while due to a couple of injuries. It was just great to get out there: once I got a couple of touches I felt right at home,” Camporeale told Carlton Media post-match.
“It was a tough, contested match and the boys stuck at it. We obviously just fell short of the result we wanted, but we were able to show some character with the way we were able to fight back.”
‘Fighting back’ has been the name of the game for Camporeale in recent months, with the 18-year-old spending time on the sidelines when an ankle infection was spotted early but required surgery.
For the youngster who had just started living out his childhood dream alongside his brother, it was an “unexpected” start to life in the AFL system, but he also got to see the best side of footy clubs at the same time.
Now that he’s back out there again, he’s keen to put all of that behind him.
“An ankle infection, surgery and then a drip in my arm for a couple of weeks wasn’t an ideal way to start! It was tough to be honest, but I’m back out there and the Club has been great.
“Being stuck with something in your arm, walking around the Club with a bum bag, I was copping a few calls from the boys which put a smile on my face. Everyone got around me, Dad came down for a few days which was nice, and the boys in the house - there’s five of us - all helped me out.
“I’ll say Lucas was the most helpful - he’d probably get angry at me if I didn’t. It was pretty annoying, having to put stuff on my wound and all of that, so Lucas cooked me dinner and helped me out a fair bit.
“Now I’ve got my ankle back moving and my fitness, I played a half today and will keep building in the next couple of weeks.”
Being able to get back out there for Round 1 of the VFL season was cause for celebration in itself for Camporeale, who said he’s looking to build back up to three quarters of game time in next week’s VFL practice match against Footscray (both teams have a bye) before a full game in Round 3’s clash with Southport.
It’s clear that determination levels are high for Ben, having seen Lucas get his moment on the MCG for his Carlton debut in front of over 80,000 people.
“As his brother, I was pumped for him. It’s a dream come true and what you play for: he deserved his opportunity and has worked so hard. It makes me even hungrier to do the same thing.
“Even tonight [Friday], coming over here and playing in Melbourne is what it’s all about. I’ve played a few games at IKON Park with Champs games, but now it’s home. It’s pretty special to play out there, wear the Navy Blue and have the No.16 on the back - that’s something I’ll always cherish.
“I’ll keep building. I’ll keep trying to string games together and work my way into the side - putting my head down, working on my skills and building connection with the other boys.”
