Sam Gordon on farm life, football and playing for Camperdown again

In the end he decided it was a question he needed answered.

Fast forward 13 months and he knows it's a resounding yes.

Gordon, 28, had spent six years in South Australia, playing football and completing a health sciences university degree.

The lamb and beef operation his family runs at Leslie Manor, 20 kilometres north of Camperdown, remained an interest.

"I just got to a stage where I wanted to change things up and the option to come back on the farm was in the back of my mind a little bit," he told The Standard.

"It was probably lucky in the end because I moved back in the middle of March last year and with COVID happening, it was perfect timing.

"I moved back not knowing for sure if I wanted to stay on the farm but then I came back and just loved it and have just enjoyed it. It's what I will do for the foreseeable future."

The decision to return home also presented the chance to play football where it all started again - on Leura Oval for Camperdown Magpies.

Gordon joined the team ahead of the 2020 season - just before the Hampden league season was delayed and eventually cancelled due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

His comeback was complete on Saturday night when he kicked a game-high seven goals against arch rival Cobden.

"I was pretty refreshed because I hadn't played for 18 months," Gordon said.

"It was good to play with (my brother) Angus on the weekend and (another brother) Hugh was in the reserves the weekend just past so hopefully he can push up and get back into the seniors so we can all play together."

Gordon arrived home with SANFL experience to his credit.

He spent two seasons at Port Magpies - AFL club Port Adelaide's state league affiliate - and a year at North Adelaide before joining Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley.

"The training load was quite high (in the SANFL), especially during pre-season when you were training three or four times a week but it was enjoyable," Gordon said.

"I was at uni so it was OK when I was studying during the day and training at night."

He needed a tree change after three seasons and played for Nuriootpa from 2017-19, winning a premiership in the middle season.

"I played football at Port Magpies with Henry Slattery and became good friends with him," Gordon said.

"He became a winemaker and must have got a job in the Barossa and he said 'how would you feel about coming to play up here?'

"It was only an hour away from Adelaide where I was living and I guess I wanted to take a bit of a step back.

"I wanted to take a more relaxed approach to my footy and enjoy it a bit more and decided to go country and it worked out that he was up there so it was the right fit."

Gordon is now determined to pass his experience onto Camperdown's next generation.

"I am one of the older fellas in the team. I am taking a bit more of a leadership role and doing the forwards coaching which has been good," he said.

"We have a good young team and it's exciting but they look for guidance.

"That's the goal for me, to work on my leadership."

Camperdown coach Neville Swayn wants Gordon to provide a target in the Magpies' forward 50.

His seven goals in his comeback match provided a glimpse of his capabilities.

But Gordon's modesty means team success come before individual accolades.

"It would be good to play well and play my role in the team and hopefully have a bit of success," he said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.