Camperdown signs Fraser Lucas for 2024 Hampden league season

That's the assessment from coach Neville Swayn who was pleased to announce Lucas' return to Victoria after a two-year stint in Queensland.

Lucas, 30, rejoins the Hampden league after a sea-change up north, where he plied his trade with AFL Cairns outfit Centrals Trinity Beach.

Swayn said Lucas, who will team up with brothers Eddie and Charlie at Leura Oval, was the ideal recruit for a Magpies' side which was on the cusp of finals in 2023.

Camperdown was the first team with 10 wins to miss finals since 2013.

"It's just good with our developing young side to get some experience back and a local guy," he said.

"It's massive for us - it's like having another coach out on the ground to get Fraser back and he can play a variety of roles.

"You could play him across half-back because his ball use is that good or he could go through the middle and he's damaging in the forward half."

Swayn said Lucas' knowledge of the game would be just as important.

"If there's times in a game where you've got to adapt and change, he's good at doing that," he said.

"Sometimes you can send a message out but it can take a few minutes for that message to get out to certain players but he's the type of guy he'll know when to do it, whatever position of the game that will be, he knows how to adapt so that's huge for a young group."

Lucas' return follows fellow home-grown talents Will Rowbottom and Riley Arnold - who were important in season 2023 - in jumping back into the black and white stripes in the past two years.

Clubs work under an AFL Victoria points system where players are assigned a number between one and five depending on whether they're a local or have joined from a state or national league.

Recruits go down a number for each season of service.

Swayn said the Magpies were well under their points cap at the moment.

"This year the only guy we didn't have as a one-pointer was Judah (Dundon)," he said.

"He was a two but he'll be a one-pointer next season and at this stage our whole list is one-pointers and there's a couple of things with that - we love to get our local guys back but it also gives you scope to go and land a couple (of big-name recruits) with points up your sleeve."

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