GWS confident it can hold off Cats
GREATER Western Sydney remains confident superstar forward Jeremy Cameron will again turn down blockbuster offers from Victorian rivals and sign for life up north.
After clinching deals for marquee midfielders Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly, the Giants will zero in on Cameron’s signature when he returns from holiday next month.
The Dartmoor product shapes as one of the game’s most in-demand free agents next season, alongside Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy, who is chasing a $7 million deal over seven years.
Geelong has flagged its strong interest in Cameron, while the Coleman medallist would be the dream replacement for spearhead Joe Daniher at Essendon.
But the Giants have been buoyed by indications the 26year-old wants to continue living away from the Melbourne spotlight and help secure the club’s first premiership.
In particular, Coniglio’s recent extension was widely seen as a big endorsement of the club’s culture, while an extension for coach Leon Cameron has also been touted.
GWS has already had preliminary discussions with Jeremy Cameron’s manager, Alex McDonald, and will look to retain the All-Australian for four or five years at least.
However, Cameron is set to cost the Giants about $1 million a season as he looks to cash in on his reputation as one of the league’s top goalkickers and the fierce rival interest.
He slotted 76 majors in a career-best season and was already in-line to be paid more than $1 million for the final year of his lucrative contract next season.
The Giants have so far navigated their tight salary cap, combining big contracts for superstars such as Toby Greene, Coniglio and Kelly alongside bargain-priced role players such as Matt de Boer and Sam Reid.
While Geelong and the Bombers are most keen to poach Cameron, former teammate Adam Tomlinson, who has crossed to Melbourne, said rival clubs could forget about him as Cameron “loves” Sydney.
Geelong is in the market for a successor for veteran premiership spearhead Tom Hawkins and made clear its interest in Coniglio much earlier in the season.
Coach Chris Scott said the club had a tendency to pick up players from the local area or country regions and rated Cameron highly.
“We have a pretty strong history of tending to favour players from the area, particularly the country boys,” Scott said. “In many cases, those guys feel a bit more comfortable down at Geelong, (because) it’s got more of a regional feel than any other club in the competition.”