Jeremy Cameron reveals emotional conversation with GWS coach Leon Cameron after making ‘hardest decision of my life’

Jeremy Cameron has opened up when he finally decided to leave GWS for Geelong after many stressful nights where he constantly changed his mind.

Jeremy Cameron has been traded from GWS to Geelong, in a move which could see the Cats shoot to favouritism for next year’s flag.

An emotional Jeremy Cameron has revealed the moment he told Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron he was leaving was “one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do”, admitting he had sleepless nights for months wrestling with his decision.

Cameron spoke for the first time as a Geelong footballer on Friday morning, saying he was relieved the most difficult season of his footy life had closed.

In a three-way deal orchestrated moments before the trade deadline, the Cats handed over their first three picks as well as a future fourth round selection for the 27-year-old star forward.

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Geelong received two future second round picks that it believes it can better utilise in a draft with more exposed form next year.

But while Cameron can’t wait to get started with the Cats, he says he will forever be grateful to his former coach and Giants for the impact they had on his life.

“It was very emotional,” a refreshingly honest Cameron said of the discussion with Cameron.

“I remember calling Leon and saying ‘do you mind coming around to sit on the couch, we need to have a chat’. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.”

“I remember in my third season, Leon took me in and said ‘I can see the potential in you, you’re going to be a good B-plus or A-grade player but do you want to be an A-plus player, I can turn you into that.’ It’s a conversation I’ve never forgotten.

“To have him sit in my lounge room and hear that I’m leaving was obviously very tough and it’s still obviously a bit emotional now.”

Cameron’s voice quivered when discussing what the Giants meant to him and how he called 15 to 20 teammates after his October discussion with his coach.

He stressed the decision to return to Victoria after leaving home as a 17-year-old for the newly created Giants had been exceptionally tough.

“I haven’t had much sleep in the last two months to be honest. It definitely has been a tense period for myself and (partner) Indiana,” he said.

Jeremy Cameron says telling coach Leon Cameron he was leaving the Giants was one of the hardest things he’s had to do. Picture: Michael Klein

“I’ve been so stressed out lately and I don’t really like it because I am a relaxed bloke, it’s been quite full-on. (I’m) very happy but at the same time there’s a bit of sadness as well. I have nothing bad to say about the Giants and it’s been an incredible 10 years with them.

“I was very 50-50 for a number of weeks. It’s honestly the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life.

“There were so many nights when I went to sleep thinking I want to make the move then I’d wake up and I wanted to be a Giant, that’s how intense it was.”

He finished the 2020 season still thinking he would be a Giants player in 2021, but a final decision came following a camping trip with his partner Indiana.

“I ended up saying to Indi ‘let’s go away for a weekend’ ... on the drive back I knew I was going to make the move,” he said.

“It was good to get away from everything, we literally just slept in a swag and talked about it all night.”

He said a combination of hub life and the pressure of making a decision on his future contributed to a frustrating 2020.

“I’m first to put my hand up and say I’m extremely disappointed with the season that I had,” he said.

“The hub hurt me in a lot of ways - it was tough to be locked down, I really hated sitting in a hotel. I got myself in that headspace where I really battled. I probably should’ve spoken to the club about it earlier.”

Cameron is excited by the move to Geelong in a football sense as well as being closer to his family and to further indulge in his passion for fishing and outdoors.

HAVE CATS PAID OVERS FOR JEZZA?

Geelong has unlocked the final piece of a trade and free agency triumvirate it believes can deliver the club its 10th premiership next year after securing Jeremy Cameron following a bitter standoff with Greater Western Sydney.

It means the 27-year-old Cameron will join stars Isaac Smith and Shaun Higgins at GMHBA Stadium with the club hopeful the three inclusions can turn the 2020 runners-up into the 2021 premiers.

But the Cats had to pay a heavy price, giving up their three first round picks (13, 15 and 20) plus a future fourth round selection in a three-way deal, while getting back two future second round picks from the Giants and Essendon.

Get used to seeing this next season with Cameron in his new Geelong colours.

The deal, which went through to the dying seconds of the trade window, also saw Jye Caldwell get to the Bombers.

Twenty-five days after Cameron announced he wanted to leave the Giants, the two warring clubs begrudgingly came to an agreement that sees the Cats give up most of their Tim Kelly draft booty from last year to claim the best player in the trade window.

Leading into the final day of trading, the Cats had offered picks 13 and 15, but the Giants wanted more.

It is understood Geelong had the option of retaining pick 20, but believed that selection could be marked down to about 25 by draft night.

Instead, the Cats chose to package it with the other two first round picks and take back two future second round selections to be used in next year’s draft when there is far greater clarity around the talent pool.

The late deal is a huge relief for Cameron, and the Cats, with Matthew Lloyd saying the move should see Geelong start the 2021 season as premiership favourites.

Already, the Cats are $5.50 second favourites behind Richmond ($4) to win next year’s flag.

Lloyd said on Trade Radio the Giants were “in a nasty mood ... (insisting) ‘we want full tote odds for Jeremy Cameron’.”

“(But) I think Jeremy Cameron will help Geelong win a premiership next year, he is the best player that is in this trade window.

“I am not put off by his season this year ... put him into that Geelong team, a happy Jeremy Cameron, and it makes them nearly premiership favourites.”

Cameron joins the Cats in the prime of his career.

Cameron’s manager Alex McDonald said his client was relieved the deal had gone through after some tense moments on the final day.

“(Wednesday night) was a pretty rough night’s sleep for him,” McDonald said.

“The last couple of hours (on Thursday), he was starting to get a bit anxious.”

McDonald reiterated Cameron would not have returned to the Giants if the deal had not proceeded, saying: “He is being well paid, but this is about lifestyle.”

Cameron joins the Cats in the prime of his career and eager to make up for a disappointing 2020 season where he kicked 24 goals from 17 games - his lowest tally from his nine seasons at the Giants.

That tally was still enough for him to be the club’s leading goalkicker again for a ninth consecutive season.

Part of the angst between the clubs came from the Giants’ belief that the Cats had been courting Cameron for at least two years.

Geelong has agreed to pay Cameron $950,000 a season for the next six seasons, with the club’s regional base being a strong selling point for the one-time kid who grew up at Dartmoor, near the South Australian border.

While the Cats had to pay a price for Cameron, they are confident they can attack the 2021 draft - with one first round pick, three second round picks and two third round picks.

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Originally published as Jeremy Cameron reveals emotional conversation with GWS coach Leon Cameron after making ‘hardest decision of my life’