GWS remains confident Jeremy Cameron will sign a new deal with the club
Greater Western Sydney has already won fights for Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly. Now the club is ready to battle for Jeremy Cameron. And they’re confident the star forward won’t be going anywhere.
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Greater Western Sydney remains confident superstar forward Jeremy Cameron will again turn down blockbuster offers from Victorian rivals and re-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 a 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.
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Geelong has already flagged its strong interest in Cameron, while the Coleman Medalist would be the dream replacement for wantaway spearhead Joe Daniher at Essendon.
But the Giants have been buoyed by indications Cameron, 26, wants to continue living away from the Melbourne spotlight in Sydney and help secure the club’s first premiership.
In particular, Coniglio’s recent extension was widely seen as a massive 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 another 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 goal kickers 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 can forget about him.
“The man absolutely loves Sydney,” Tomlinson said.
“He spends more time on his boat fishing than actually on dry land, I honestly can’t see him leaving.
“He’s a massive part of the football club and if you don’t know him, he’s the nicest person, and there’s no way I can see him playing footy anywhere else.”
An early commitment from Cameron before the start of next season would be a massive coup for GWS as it looks to bounce back from the burn of an 89-point Grand Final thrashing from Richmond.
The Giants have been heavily targeted by rivals but have managed to keep their priority players on considerable long-term extensions including Greene, Nick Haynes, Coniglio and Kelly.
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Slick ballwinner Lachie Whitfield, who is also a free agent next year, is also one of the Giants’ top priorities in the off-season.
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 has a tendency to pickup players from the local area or country regions and rated Cameron highly, like many others.
“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.”
Originally published as GWS remains confident Jeremy Cameron will sign a new deal with the club