Group 4: Jack Cameron picks up a trio of awards at Dungowan Cowboys presentation night

The born-and-raised country boy was all smiles and conviviality, despite a pair of nasty cuts - one up the side of his nose which required five stitches, and another above his lip which needed three.

"I hit [the North Tamworth defender's] shoulder," Cameron said.

"It was a bit of a high shot, but it wasn't intentional. It's a contact sport ... but it's all good fun, it's all on the field. As long as you can walk off after it, shake hands, and have a beer, that's what the game's about."

The 24-year-old's approach to rugby league is simple: play hard, and leave the aggression on the field.

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After returning to the Cowboys in 2023 for the first time since his days playing in the club's junior teams, Cameron's goal was to "lead from the front" with his fearless brand of play.

It clearly had an impact on his teammates, as evidenced when the wiry prop picked up three awards at the club's presentation night last weekend.

Cameron was named Dungowan first grade's Player of the Year, Best Forward, and Players' Player. Of those three, it was the latter that meant the most.

"I wasn't expecting it at all," he said.

"The Players' Player is the biggest one, I reckon. The people you're playing with on the field, week in, week out vote for that one. For me, that's probably my favourite."

The former Newcastle Knights reserve-grader returned home to his family's Loomberah farm at the start of the year, where he still spends his days working.

The farm life appeals to Cameron, he said, because the work "changes every single day" and never becomes dull or repetitive.

The physical demands of the job have a practical appeal as well, as it will help Cameron stay fit over the off-season, where he will otherwise take a break from sport and rest up for 2024.

Once the time comes to start training again, he will "definitely be staying at Dungowan next year".

"It was a really good year," Cameron said.

"This year was definitely everything I had expected it would be. The club's awesome, it's a great club with a great community around it. I couldn't be happier."

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