"He's just a happy kid": unflappable Campbell Chesser shows his appeal

'Dragons Tales' is a series of indepth feature stories on some of our top prospects in 2021, exploring their junior careers, their upbringing, the ups and downs of the dealing with COVID complications and more, written by Jonty Ralphsmith. This week we will be focusing on running defender/midfielder, Campbell Chesser. 

Mention the name Campbell Chesser in AFL circles and chances are someone will know who you’re talking about.  

That’s just as much to do with his reputation as an efficient, attacking player on field as his outgoing personality off it.  

Several times in the past few years, Chesser has been in situations where he knows no-one. Each time, he adapts.  

“I know that at his first training session he knew one or two people so you try to make him feel welcome and at home but ultimately there’s 90 kids on the track, so it is a bit overwhelming,” Dragons 2021 coach Jackson Kornberg said about Chesser’s first session after transferring from the Murray Bushrangers to Sandringham.  

“But a lot of people gravitate towards ‘Chess’ with his personality which has made it easier for him to make connections and that then translated into his form.”  

And his form was excellent. As a 16-year-old he got a taste of NAB League footy for Sandy and, as captain of the Vic Country under 16s side, he was named All-Australian for his explosiveness and athleticism.  

Representing Vic Country as an Associated Public School (APS) boy with the Sandringham Dragons, having initially been in the Murray Bushrangers pathway, Chesser has links with a cross-section of the draft pool.  

His roots are in Lavington, near Albury, giving him Vic Country status and history with the Bushrangers, before he accepted a scholarship to start boarding at Melbourne Grammar in year nine, following in the footsteps of fellow Albury local, Melbourne Grammar alumni and now premiership-winning Melbourne Demon, Charlie Spargo.  

“I just wanted to extend myself further,” Chesser said.  

“I didn’t really understand too much about the academic benefit at the time but Charlie Spargo spoke to me a little bit about the importance of schooling and education prior to me coming which has helped me heaps.  

“Coming to Melbourne was always something I wanted to do, it was more about figuring out the logistics of it which took the time. I was just a year eight kid that wanted to come to Melbourne and didn’t understand the expenses that came with it and moving away from home.”  

The move demonstrates a sense of adventure that has always been infused within Chesser, one that will be important if he is to be taken by an interstate club.  

The exhausted question ‘how would you feel about moving interstate?’ has got its good run on Chesser this year. His response is always the same: “there’s no AFL club in Albury.”  

Just as he was eager to get to Melbourne, he keenly awaits the next phase.  

“You gain a fair bit of resilience, independence and different values that you grow from living away from home when adversity hits. Moving away from that spoon-feeding, there’s little things you’ve got to do by yourself, organise day-to-day things.  

“I’m quite excited by the prospect of getting on a list and living out your childhood dream but I’m not too focused on the pick or where I end up, I just want to get on a list.   

“I’m really looking forward to hopefully getting there and it resets from day one. Hopefully I’m training alongside some stars of the competition and learning off them.” 

Chesser set himself an excellent foundation early in the NAB League season, his composure a step above in the first game against Oakleigh and the noted flare and dare on display in the wet against Northern.  

But, despite playing out the game against Northern, Chesser sustained a medium-term meniscus injury in the second quarter.  

During his recovery, a quote bred into him by coach Jackson Kornberg rang true: “be where your feet are.”  

On top of his grounding from athletics coach Ken Little, Kornberg’s phrase adds another layer of professionalism to Chesser’s vernacular. He remains positive and grounded by what he can control.  

It was tough to watch from the sidelines against Dandenong in round four – an uncharacteristically dry and warm Trevor Barker Oval would have lent itself perfectly to Chesser’s outside run. But he remained happily involved from a leadership capacity, providing guidance, including pulling Jack Peris aside pre-game as the speedy prospect was preparing to assume a new wing role.  

His leadership has grown alongside his confidence as he has spent time away from home, willing to say more and more during meetings as he naturally develops.  

“He just has that impact on people that not many people can have,” Sandy skipper Josh Sinn said.  

“By walking onto the oval, people know that it’s time to work. He just makes everyone around him a better person and player.”  

Melbourne Grammar firsts footy coach Rhys Gieschen was struck by his buoyance in the face of personal adversity as Chesser was unable to play a game for Melbourne Grammar.  

“He’s just a happy kid,” Gieschen said.  

“Despite the fact he had significant setbacks and didn’t play a game, I never saw him think about himself, or get frustrated or disappointed, he was always positive and didn’t require further acknowledgement.   

“He would come to training and have a smile on his face and worry about what he needs to do to get better, whether that is rehab or helping others or whatever it may be so I think that’s a good sign of character."   

In the next edition of Dragons Tales, Chesser talks about instilling discipline and setting high standards