Hands off Jeremy Cameron, says former Essendon, GWS coach Kevin Sheedy
Essendon icon Kevin Sheedy has told Victorian clubs to keep their hands off free agent Jeremy Cameron, saying he’s not the answer to the Bombers’ goalkicking issues.
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Greater Western Sydney’s first coach Kevin Sheedy has called on Victorian clubs to stop pillaging the Giants stars, adamant Jeremy Cameron will become a beloved one-club player.
Sheedy hit out at Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd’s call for the Bombers to make out-of-contract Cameron their No.1 target to replace Joe Daniher if he departs.
He said the symbolism of Cameron joining Stephen Coniglio and Toby Greene as the Giants’ trio of one-clubs players to play 200 games together would be a triumph for the AFL.
Sheedy’s call came amid massive developments in the NRL where Commission chairman Peter V’Landys has ruled out pay cuts in 2021 for players.
The NRL’s decision to retain its $10 million salary cap will be a valuable lobbying point for the AFL’s player union as it tries to minimise pay cuts for players.
No cut to the AFL’s 2021 salary cap would allow GWS more room to sign free agent Cameron on a long-term deal, but regardless Sheedy is sick of Victorian poaching.
“It is ridiculous, we are trying to build the game in Sydney, this is hands off Jeremy Cameron,” he told the Herald Sun.
“We have put in all the expenses of going into Sydney to build the AFL game and clubs want to steal another group of players. They have taken a full team of players out of Sydney.
“The Collingwood centre line is (Will) Hoskin-Elliott, (Adam) Treloar and (Taylor) Adams in the guts.
“The Bulldogs have already taken a premiership player in Tom Boyd. The Bombers have taken three or four in Devon Smith and Dylan Shiel and Jake Townsend (and James Stewart).
“So why do you want to keep wrecking the game? Leave Cameron in Sydney with Coniglio and Toby and build a great club. Just ripping into them now is just ridiculous.
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“It is just ridiculous and just let him be a one-club player and it will be appreciated by the game in the end.
“Essendon surely won’t bother. That’s it. We have stolen enough Giants. We don’t need them at Essendon, we have got plenty of good forwards, we just need to get it right.”
Sheedy said clubs attempting to raid the Giants’ stars showed a lack of foresight and inventiveness at the recruiting table.
“To me here we are right in the middle of the crisis in this world disease and people want to roll into Sydney and have another crack at them again. Leave them alone and let it settle down. Go and find your own champion, or a top-class player like Marlion Pickett.
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“There are top-class players out there we keep walking past. Just leave the Giants alone.
“Jeremy Cameron and Coniglio and Greene will finish like Tim Watson and Matthew Lloyd, like Kevin Bartlett and Francis Bourke, they never changed their club. It’s what they are.
“Chris Grant and Mark Ricciuto, who was happy in Adelaide, they will always be remembered as one-club players.”
Originally published as Hands off Jeremy Cameron, says former Essendon, GWS coach Kevin Sheedy