IT'S not often that your top competitor becomes your leader, but it’s an opportunity that Tom Campbell is grabbing with both hands.

Campbell, who arrived at the Dees in October via the Free Agency period, has spent many years coming up against Melbourne captain and lead ruck Max Gawn.

The two have gone head-to-head in countless ruck contests since 2012, when Campbell first entered the competition, and 12 years later the duo are now working together to help shape the Demons’ stoppage work.

“It’s definitely intimidating coming up against big Max,” Campbell said.

“He’s sort of an icon of our game and someone who's had a stellar career to date and still in fantastic All-Australian form.

The pair have close to 26 years of experience in total, making them the perfect mentors for Melbourne’s young ruck Will Verrall.

Verrall came to the club during the 2022 Rookie Draft and has been steadily developing his game, featuring among the top rucks across the VFL, his average hit-outs sitting at 18.5.

Together, the trio work closely to build each other up, honing their craft with each session, each contest.

“The three of us are really tight,” Campbell said.

“Max and I, we go way back to Sandringham Dragons days, where we were coming through the talent pathways together.

“It’s great for Max and I to sort of bash into each other and then also push Will to get better.

“Will's an exciting young talent and he's got some development to do, but I'm really excited to play a role in supporting him on that development journey.

“He's really eager to get better and that's really exciting for the whole club.

In terms of his own craft, at 33 years old, some might assume that Campbell was set in his football ways.

However, his passion for the game has continued to grow, the seasoned ruck looking at this next chapter at the Dees as a chance to further improve his skills.

“For me, I think there's a great opportunity to learn from one of the game's premier rucks in Max and take my game to another level," Campbell said. 

“It's about working on some of the new craft that he has that I might not have been exposed to in the past.

“I think, the way that he marks the ball as well is something that I'd love to bring to my game in a bigger way.

“So, there's definitely some new things for me to work on.”

Melbourne is the fourth club in Campbell’s football journey, having played at Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and St Kilda.

The move to a new club may have been a daunting experience for Campbell, but the welcoming environment he’s been met with has made the transition seamless.

“I’ve been really rapt with how I've been embraced,” Campbell said.

“I felt like I've fitted in straight away and a few weeks in, I feel really comfortable around the place.

“I'm really grateful for this kind of start.”

Having now officially been at the Dees for just over a month, he praised the work ethic of the playing group and said he was eager to see what they could do heading into 2025.  

“I think I've come in at a really exciting time,” Campbell said.

“Everyone’s super motivated, being on the track, I've seen how intense training has been.

“When there are a lot of numbers on the track, we can do a lot of full ground drills and it feels like we're playing a game, so that’s been fantastic to be on the track with lots of really high-quality players available.

“I think it really stands us in good stead for January and our build into the season.

“So, I'm really excited for what we can do next year.”