VERSATILE tall Cameron Pedersen says he doesn’t have a preference where he plays, but ideally he wants to lock down a permanent key position – either in attack or defence.  

Pedersen said it was his ability to play several roles that had helped his cause.

“In my position, flexibility is probably the reason why I got drafted in the first place, due to my ability to play up forward, down back and pinch-hit in the ruck,” he told melbournefc.com.au.  

“Versatility now is important, when you look at the likes of [Geelong’s Harry] Taylor and [Collingwood’s] Ben Reid – they’re really valuable to clubs. I’m happy to do that role.”

Pedersen highlighted the key differences he saw between playing down back and in attack.

“Playing down back, there is a bit more camaraderie, but with the forward line, most of the time it’s really you versus your man,” he said.

“Whereas down back you’re looking out for each other, because you need to work together as a unit and stop the opposition from scoring.”

Pedersen said coach Paul Roos had given him every opportunity to succeed this year. 

“I was playing down back and he asked me to play up forward, which [initially] I was a bit worried about because we have the likes of [Chris] Dawes and [Jesse] Hogan coming through, plus [Jeremy] Howe,” he said.

“I was a bit worried about where I fitted in the team, but he said ‘we’ll back you in and it’s your spot to lose. If you play your role, then there’s no reason why you can’t hold your spot’.

“He’s always been really approachable and you can go and ask him about things and he’ll give you honest feedback.”