GWS star Jeremy Cameron meets with key Giants and Channel 7 CEO James Warburton
In-demand Giant Jeremy Cameron has met with club powerbrokers as he weighs up his future. But they weren’t the only guests at celebrity chef Neil Perry’s Rockpool, with one of the biggest names in Sydney joining them. See the photos.
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In-demand GWS Giants forward Jeremy Cameron has met with club powerbrokers and the head of Channel 7 over lunch in Sydney as he weighs up his future.
Cameron spent Wednesday afternoon with GWS chief executive Dave Matthews, Sydney-based Channel 7 chief executive James Warburton and newly-signed Giants’ forward coach Steve Johnson at top restaurant Rockpool.
Warburton left the lunch earlier than the others where Cameron’s future would have been on the menu.
Cameron, 27, is weighing up a big decision on his contract and has strong interest from Geelong and Collingwood.
But the Giants remain confident Cameron will remain at the club and in particular are excited about reuniting close mates Johnson and Cameron after a two-year stint as teammates in 2016-17.
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Warburton’s presence is interesting as one of the most powerful figures in Australian television.
It is likely Warburton would have spoken with Cameron about where he wants to take his career and future opportunities in Sydney as arguably the second biggest name in the game in the Harbour City behind Lance Franklin.
Cameron is already an AFL ambassador and has scope to strike blockbuster sponsorship deals in Sydney and Melbourne as one of the best and most marketable players in the country.
Warburton is also a long-time friend of Matthews and has been a supporter of the club for many years. He is also known to share Cameron’s keen interest in fishing and has previously spoken with Giants’ figures and players about leadership and their careers.
While the Giants are the AFL’s youngest club, it helps to have powerful friends such as Warburton in the battle to keep superstar players.
The Giants are eager to keep Cameron to spearhead the club’s climb up the ladder in 2021 and beyond after missing finals this year. The club has made a five-year offer worth about $750,000 a season to keep the Coleman Medallist.
GWS lost the Grand Final to Richmond last year and struggled on the back of the COVID-19 break despite an impressive Round 1 win over Geelong.
The Giants’ move to poach Johnson could be vital in the race for Cameron’s signature as the goal kicking great is keen to work with the full forward next year.
Johnson is one of Geelong’s greatest players of the modern era and ironically could strike a big blow against the Cats’ attempts to poach the free agent.
BRING BACK COLA: GIANTS WANT MORE CASH TO KEEP STARS
Greater Western Sydney wants the AFL to reintroduce a cost-of-living-style allowance to help the club keep its players and footy staff.
The Giants are set to raise the issue with the AFL Commission in a move which is set to be widely unpopular with rival clubs.
The AFL made the call to abolish COLA for clubs and reinforce its equalisation policies six years ago when the Sydney Swans landed a nine-year $10 million bombshell move for champion goal kicker Lance Franklin.
But the Giants will put the issue back on the agenda in the wake of this year’s economic crisis, which has triggered the loss of several key off-field staff and has severely impacted Jeremy Cameron’s contract negotiations.
Cameron, 27, is the latest superstar player to consider leaving the club after the COVID-19 cuts cost him almost $500,000 of his heavily back-ended deal this year.
Geelong Cats chief executive Brian Cook confirmed the Cats were going hard for Cameron and said the Coleman Medallist was battling with the decision to stay up north or make a blockbuster move back to Victoria.
“We’re in the market big time at the moment for Jeremy Cameron. He’s struggling with making a decision. He’s a loyal bloke,” Cook said on Sportsday WA.
“You know the rules when you’ve been around for a long time – do you finish your career in one place or do you get tempted to go elsewhere?
“We’re trying big time for that one. Outside of that there’s a few others we’re talking to.”
The Giants have offered Cameron a five-year deal in the vicinity of $750,000 a season on the back of mega deals for captain Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly and Lachie Whitfield.
Speedster Zac Williams also departed for Carlton for a lucrative deal worth about $900,000 a season, while St Kilda has made a big offer to second-year midfielder Jye Caldwell.
Jackson Hately has left to go home to Adelaide.
Extra money in the GWS salary cap would help keep its superstar players and offset the increased cost of living in Sydney.
Latest figures show rental prices in some areas are up to 40 per cent more expensive in Sydney than in Melbourne and even more compared to Geelong.
The Giants face a yearly struggle trying to retain their playing group with about 70 per cent of its list hailing from interstate.
About 55 per cent of the draft pool comes out of Victoria each year.
But the Giants also face a significant challenge retaining their key off-field staff in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
The Giants were shattered when highly-rated assistant coaches Lenny Hayes and Brad Miller informed the club they were leaving the AFL industry.
Hayes was under contract when he informed the club he would not be in the coaches’ box in 2021.
The decisions came in the wake of the AFL’s decision to reduce the football department soft cap from nearly $10 million to $6.2 million for next year.
Some coaches across the industry have had to accept up to 40 per cent pay cuts and downgraded roles, while many others have been made redundant.
Rival clubs are certain to strongly object any move to reintroduce any extra salary cap money for the Sydney clubs, arguing that GWS in particular has already benefited enormously from COLA and extra draft picks and academy concessions.
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One football boss said on Wednesday any suggestion the Giants needed more money in their salary cap was “absolutely ridiculous”.
“What the AFL should do is stop gifting them so many concessions,” said the official.
A steady string of talented players have left the Giants in recent years despite the club boasting a strong culture and stable staff.
Captain Coniglio waited until August to sign last year, while Jonathon Patton, Adam Tomlinson, Dylan Shiel, Rory Lobb, Nathan Wilson, Will Setterfield, Devon Smith, Jack Steele, Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Tom Boyd, Lachie Plowman, Caleb Marchbank, Josh Bruce, Cam McCarthy and Sam Frost have all departed, among others.
Originally published as GWS star Jeremy Cameron meets with key Giants and Channel 7 CEO James Warburton