Geelong star Jeremy Cameron praises Tom Hawkins and Shannon Neale as selection dilemma faces Cats
Jeremy Cameron has seen the work both Tom Hawkins and Shannon Neale have been putting in behind the scenes. He shares his thoughts on the ‘challenging’ selection call facing the Cats.
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Geelong goalkicker Jeremy Cameron believes retiring champion Tom Hawkins has done everything in his power to put his hand up for selection, admitting it would be tough seeing him miss out if he isn’t picked for their preliminary final against Brisbane.
Hawkins, 36, made his return from a long-term foot injury in the VFL in the Cats’ losing semi-final against Southport and trained on Monday as he continues to press his case.
Hawkins, Cam Guthrie, who played his first game since round 10 alongside Hawkins nine days ago, and Tom Stewart (illness, hamstring) are training well in the eyes of Cameron.
Cameron, who has shared the Cats forward 50 with Hawkins since he arrived at the club in 2021, praised the determined efforts of Hawkins and Guthrie to get back into the side and said it has uplifting for the playing group.
He also recognised the continued support that Hawkins has given incumbent key forward Shannon Neale, who appears likely to earn selection over him after taking nine marks and kicking two goals against Port Adelaide.
“Honestly I am nowhere near selection thankfully. It is one of those things that it’s great to have a full team at this time of year and I think it’s needed, it is crucial to have pretty much a full list to pick from but at the same time there are always those stories and it is a challenging time as well,” Cameron said.
“It’d be obviously difficult (if he missed), he has been through a fair bit this season. I said this maybe 6-8 weeks ago, he could just sail off and he has had an amazing career, obviously touch and go with how the timing with his foot is healing and the timing of getting back, it is a tight window.
“But he has done everything he can possibly do, he is in there working behind the scenes, he is in the heat room, he is doing everything he can to give himself a chance and that is all you can really ask for.
“It is very lifting to walk down to the gym and see that, and that is coming from someone that I have played a fair few seasons myself, so I can only imagine what that’s doing for the first, second, third, fourth year players and beyond.
“(Hawkins and Guthrie) are both workhorses those two and to have your senior players doing, that is a lot of what drives us as players and just the Geelong Football Club as well and steering it in the right direction.
“I’m lucky I don’t have to sit in the committee and make the big decisions, but he has given himself every chance and that’s all you can ask for from a great teammate.”
Neale, 22, has kicked a goal or more in every game he has played since replacing Hawkins in round 16, booting 14 majors in nine matches and providing a strong presence around the ground.
Cameron has been impressed by Geelong’s current forward mix, Neale’s on-field form and his thirst for knowledge.
“He has been huge for us, he is just one of those kids who wants to keep learning every single day, he just picks your brain,” Cameron said.
“This is where Hawk has been wonderful and he has been for a long time, sharing his knowledge of the game and what he has done for years and years of playing at the highest level and ‘Scratch’ has taken all that in and he’s got a big work ethic on and off the field.
“We sort of want to keep it simple at the same time and not give him too much information because you can sort of take too much in and think about it too much, but I’ve loved the way he has just gone about it and he is just a big target for us and if he’s not marking it for us he’s bringing it to ground which is what we really want.
“We’ve got a really good mix, there are guys that aren’t talked about a hell of a lot that internally they play a huge role for us and it is nice to mix things up if things aren’t really working for us at any given time.”
Cameron kicked one of the goals of the season in Geelong’s win over the Power with a miraculous left foot snap deep in the Eddie Betts pocket at Adelaide Oval.
He had no issue with it being out of the running for the goal of the year, with goals only eligible during the regular season,
“I was talking to Eddie Betts after the game about it and he said to get out of his pocket – and I asked what pocket because he has four there,” Cameron said with a smile.
“He’s incredible and I have worked with Eddie so it was nice to see the excitement on his face, but it was a bit lucky.”
Originally published as Geelong star Jeremy Cameron praises Tom Hawkins and Shannon Neale as selection dilemma faces Cats
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