Stewart Crameri Biography

Stewart Crameri, Aaron Black, Ryan Gardner, Cory Gregson, Matthew Hayball and Timm House are delisted by Geelong.

"We sincerely thank all six players for their service to the club, whether it be over a short or a long period, these players have all made a contribution to Geelong as footballers and as quality people," Cats head of football Simon Lloyd said.

"The club wishes them all the best as they embark on their future endeavours."

Stewart Crameri is taken to hospital after receiving a poke in the eye in Geelong's VFL clash against North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium.

After finally playing his 100th game, Stewart Crameri reflects on the challenges he has had to overcome to reach his milestone.

"First game back for a while and the 100th, it's all sort of accumulated into one great moment I think and I'll remember it forever," Crameri said.

"It's pretty special because I know how hard it is just to get here. To have a second chance is just enormous because these things don't last forever."

After spending most of his career as a smaller, mobile forward, Stewart Crameri says he is taking on the challenge of playing the role of a key forward with Geelong.

"Chris (Scott) asked me if I could play key forward and I said that maybe I could," Crameri told SEN radio.

"I'll see how I go if I can bulk up in the gym a little bit.

"I just want to slot in with their systems."

Stewart Crameri has set his sights on playing beyond 2018, after being thrown a one-year rookie contract lifeline by Geelong.

"I started my career a bit later, 21-22 as a professional player, so I think I've still got a few years to go yet," Crameri said.

"I think a lot of players are playing longer now, with the medical teams around clubs now, they're prolonging a lot of careers.

"So, I'll be expecting to not just play this year but the year after and go from there, but I hope to keep playing."

Stewart Crameri's career at the Western Bulldogs is over, with the club not offering the forward another contract.

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has told Stewart Crameri his future will not be known until the end of the Trade Period with the impending departure of Jake Stringer potentially opening up more opportunities.

"Some tough conversations obviously with 'Bevo'. Hard year, not playing and not playing the year before, so we couldn't discuss football necessarily, but it was more about what I want to do next year and where I want to go," Crameri told NAB AFL Trade Radio.

"He just said it's going to be a hard slog during Trade Period. We've got to wait and see what happens."

Stewart Crameri says he's negotiating with other clubs as he's yet to be offered a new deal by the Western Bulldogs.

Crameri played just two senior games in 2017 after succumbing to a troublesome hip injury.

"I've had a little bit of interest (from other clubs), and I'll work through that with my manager and go from there, so I'll see how things play out," Crameri said.

"The doctors have ticked off (my hip injury), so I can't wait to start pre-season and have a 2018 campaign not to forget. I can't wait."

Out for the year and out of contract, injured forward Stewart Crameri has a future at the Western Bulldogs according to coach Luke Beveridge.

"The club is definitely dedicated to Stewy, and we see his future at the moment beyond this year, but we need to work together towards the end of the year deadline to make sure that happens," Beveridge said.

"Stewy is not going to be able to play (for the rest) this year, so between now and the end of the year we'll work with him to get him physically prepared for next year."

Stewart Crameri is ruled out for the rest of the 2017 season with a hip injury despite undergoing surgery earlier in the week.

"While the surgery to improve Stewart's hip was quite extensive, we are confident that it will dramatically improve Stewart's function and performance," Bulldogs medical services manager Chris Bell said.

"It's disappointing for both the club and Stewart, but we will support Stewart and put a comprehensive rehabilitation program around him to give him every opportunity to have a full pre-season campaign heading into 2018."

Stewart Crameri has re-injured his troublesome hip and will be sidelined for at least a month.

"Stewie Crameri is going to some surgery next Monday, so he won't be available for probably a month or so," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

"It's just a little bit of a clean out. It's just been impeding him a little bit and giving him a fraction of grief.

"Hopefully that will help free him up and in the back end of the year he'll find best form."

Essendon's worst fears have been realised with the Court of Arbitration for Sport finding 34 past and present players guilty of taking banned substance Thymosin Beta-4 and suspending them for the entire 2016 season.

Twelve players still on the Bombers' list and five now at other AFL clubs who took part in Essendon's 2012 supplements program have been hit with two-year bans beginning on March 31 last year.

However, most of the suspensions will come to an end on November 13 this year, taking into account provisional suspensions already served.

Bombers skipper Jobe Watson, vice-captain Dyson Heppell, reigning club champion Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley, Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Travis Colyer, Michael Hibberd, Ben Howlett, David Myers, Brent Stanton and Tayte Pears will all miss the Bombers' 2016 campaign.

The guilty decision impacts four other AFL clubs with former Essendon players on their lists, with Jake Carlisle (St Kilda), Stewart Crameri (Western Bulldogs), Jake Melksham (Melbourne), Angus Monfries and Patrick Ryder (Port Adelaide) to be sidelined for the season.

Former Essendon players Mark McVeigh and Brent Prismall are set to be suspended from their respective roles at Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs until November 13 as support staff are banned from any WADA-complaint sports under the sanctions.

McVeigh is an assistant coach at the Giants, while Prismall is a player wellbeing and welfare manager with the Bulldogs.

Essendon champion and former club coach James Hird slammed the guilty verdict and suspensions.

"I am shocked by this decision," Hird said in a statement.

"I firmly believe the players do not deserve this finding.

"They do not deserve to face a twelve-month suspension from the sport. This is a miscarriage of justice for 34 young men."

After struggling for form earlier in the season, Stewart Crameri kicks a career-high seven goals against in the Bulldogs' 87-point drubbing of his former side, Essendon.

"It didn't really work out for him early, and for us and to his credit, he went back to VFL level and it took him a few weeks to be selected, and we're seeing the fruits of him putting his head down and working hard right now," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

"It would be nice to think he's got a fair bit more in him and we think he does toward the back end of the year."

Stewart Crameri is dropped from the Bulldogs' senior side with coach Luke Beveridge saying the forward needed to become more consistent in his output.

"He probably hasn't been at his best this year, had a great game against Sydney when we beat them, but he needs to get back to that consistency of his past," Beveridge said.

"This just breaks the cycle for him. He'll go back to VFL level and be back up very shortly."

Stewart Crameri's father says it was "a big relief" to learn his son was cleared of taking a banned substance after the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal cleared 34 past and present Essendon players of any wrongdoing.

"It's a big relief. It's been a concern and a worry. (The investigation) shouldn't have taken so long," Bernie Crameri said.

"It should be the end of it, because there's nothing left to take it any further. There never has been.

"We probably won't have a celebration, we'll just have a talk about it to (Stewart to) get it out of the way."

While it has been a trying two years for all involved, Bernie bears no animosity towards Essendon for the supplements regime.

"We've got the greatest respect for the club. It's a magnificent club. James Hird, he treated Stewie like a father. He really looked after him," he said.

"I don't think they've done anything wrong - I've got no animosity towards them."

Stewart Crameri will sit out the first two rounds of the NAB Challenge while the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal deliberates on any potential suspensions for the 34 past and present players involved in the Bombers' 2012 supplements regime.

The Western Bulldogs will meet to discuss whether or not forward Stewart Crameri will take part in the NAB Challenge.

Crameri is one of 34 past and present Essendon players who received doping infraction notices for their part in the Bombers' 2012 supplements program.

"He's had an enormous pre-season, actually," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

"He's gone about his work in a really professional fashion and he's in terrific nick. That's the sad thing because he's ready to go and he may not be able to play in the NAB series."

Stewart Crameri says he enjoys teaming up with Jake Stringer in the Bulldogs' forward line.

"I love playing with him because he's so hard at the ball and he's damaging," Crameri said.

"As soon as I know he's going to get the ball, I'm just expecting something special for him now. He's doing a great job and improving."

Stewart Crameri's form has suffered as a result of the on-going investigation into the Essendon supplements scandal, according to his coach Brendan McCartney.

"I think Stewart has had a bit on his mind - he won't mind me saying that," McCartney said.

"He's dealt with it really well and has been provided with great support internally. When his mind clears, and we feel like he's got to that stage now, he'll be okay."

Forward Stewart Crameri has been training with the Bulldogs' midfield group in a bid to move further up the ground in 2014.

"I'm doing midfield stuff once a week now, so I'll hopefully get a hit-out in quarters, late in quarters, just to change it up," Crameri said.

"I think that will be an important role for the team. That will be a really good chance for me to have a go in the midfield, when I haven't had that chance for three or four years."

Stewart Crameri says a close relationship with Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney when he was an assistant coach at Essendon was the catalyst for his decision to move to the Western Bulldogs.

"He was the one that put me in the forward line in the first place and he's very good in teaching me the roles I have to play," Crameri said.

"I've kept in contact with him over the years and obviously (this) year he's spoken to me closely and I think he can help me a lot … He was pretty adamant that he wanted me at the Bulldogs at the start of the year."

Essendon reluctantly accepts draft pick No.26 from the Bulldogs for forward Stewart Crameri rather than risk having the forward leaving via the pre-season draft for nothing.

"We are delighted to secure somebody of Stewart's calibre," Bulldogs list manager Jason McCartney said.

"We identified Stewart's physical attributes and his goalkicking capabilities as important components to add to our team moving forward."

Stewart Crameri tells Essendon he wants to be traded to the Western Bulldogs.

After initially offering Stewart Crameri a two-year deal, Essendon puts a new three-year deal on the table to the forward who is also courting interest from the Western Bulldogs.

Stewart Crameri is likely to wait until the end of the season as he weighs up a two-year deal offered to him by Essendon as well as a reported long-term lucrative deal from the Bulldogs which exceeds the Bombers' offer in length and remuneration.

Stewart Crameri tallies eight marks and five goals in a big win to the Bombers against Carlton.

"He encapsulates, I think, the Bombers at the moment: where he was 18 months ago and where he is now, the improvement has been outstanding," Essendon coach James Hird said.

Bomber forward Stewart Crameri has been handed the No.12 guernsey worn previously by recently retired Andrew Welsh.

"I talked to the coaches and discussed it after we learnt that Andrew was going to retire, and we went towards me taking it on," Crameri said.

"He was a very passionate and loyal player at the club and he made sure that everyone was as passionate as he was. Hopefully I can do the same things he did at the club."

Essendon loses Stewart Crameri for the rest of the season after the forward dislocated his right shoulder against West Coast.

"We were weighing up our options but, ultimately, we did not want to take any risks, so Stewart will go ahead with surgery to his shoulder," football manager Paul Hamilton said.

"Stew has had a breakout season this year and it's incredibly disappointing to lose him, but we know that other players will step up and fill the void."

Stewart Crameri says first-year coach James Hird has been instrumental in teaching him about the level of professionalism required in AFL football.

"From the first day I got there, Hirdy was on top of me and on my back – he was well into me, as were all the coaches," Crameri said on 3AW radio.

"They put a lot of work into me, because they knew I had the talent but I did not have the game sense of other players because I come from Bendigo in the country. My professionalism and things like that early on – I just didn't have."

Stewart Crameri makes his AFL debut for Essendon at the MCG with 17 disposals (3 kicks and 14 handballs), 2 marks and a tackle in a 98-point loss to Collingwood.