GWS Giants in bid to re-sign Jeremy Cameron this year to thwart Geelong poaching raid

Geelong is eyeing Greater Western Sydney superstar Jeremy Cameron as part of the club’s long-term succession plan for veteran spearhead Tom Hawkins.

Could the Cats try to poach Giant Jeremy Cameron? Picture. Phil Hillyard

Geelong is eyeing Greater Western Sydney superstar Jeremy Cameron as part of the club’s long-term succession plan for veteran spearhead Tom Hawkins.

Cameron, 26, looms as the No. 1 key forward target for the Cats as they look to replenish their ageing key position stocks including 30-year-old Hawkins in coming years.

Cameron, from Dartmoor a small country town in western Victoria, has produced dazzling form in the first six rounds and is red-hot favourite to win the Coleman Medal.

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The 196cm full forward would be an ideal replacement option for Hawkins next year when Cameron will emerge as the league’s most in-demand free agent.

Importantly, GWS want to sign Cameron this year to cut-off attempts from rivals to poach him for nothing next season.

“There’s about 50 others on that list as well,” Cats coach Chris Scott said on SEN on Saturday when asked of the club’s links to Cameron.

“I have heard so many players that we are after. I try to answer honestly and we are interested in Jeremy Cameron.

“(But) I don’t remember any discussions about him.

“But that’s good to know. Sometimes I am the last one to hear this stuff.”

The Giants last year held preliminary talks with Cameron’s manager, Alex McDonald, and will ramp up talks on another extension over the next few months.

Jeremy Cameron could be on the Cats’ radar. Pic: Getty Images

But GWS is certain to face another salary cap squeeze as the Giants try and fit in monster deals for re-signed onball jet Josh Kelly, free agent Stephen Coniglio, silky playmaker Lachie Whitfield and Cameron.

They could all command about $1 million a year, taking up as much as 20-25 per cent of the Giants’ $12.76 million salary cap.

The Cats will be proactive as they look to find replacements for versatile tall Henderson, who is out of contract this season, as well as veterans Harry Taylor and Hawkins (both out 2020).

Geelong could back-end a deal for Cameron and offer him a package similar to the one which landed Patrick Dangerfield at the end of 2016.

Scott last week said the club “have a (recruiting) bias towards players from the region”.

“We have a pretty strong history of tending to favour players from the area, particularly the country boys,” Scott said.

Cameron impressed against the cats in Round 4. Pic: Getty Images

“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.”

Under free agency rules, players can join new clubs without costing anything in a trade after eight seasons.

If Cameron decides to put off talks and return home to Victoria, the Cats are certain to face stiff competition for Cameron’s signature, including Hawthorn.

The Hawks are looking for a replacement for premiership great Jarryd Roughead and have been linked to fellow Giants’ big man Jon Patton.

But it is Cameron’s sizzling mobility, marking power and ability to kick goals on the move that makes him one of the league’s most talented and damaging forwards.

He has bagged 24 goals from the first six matches of the season and has vowed to curb the dangerous acts which have cost Cameron repeat suspensions in recent years.

Geelong will be prepared for another request from star midfielder Tim Kelly to return home to Western Australia at the end of the season.

West Coast and Fremantle are both keen on the gun ballwinner.

Originally published as GWS Giants in bid to re-sign Jeremy Cameron this year to thwart Geelong poaching raid