Geelong Cats star Jeremy Cameron says premiers can get better in 2023

Cats superstar Jeremy Cameron has declared the reigning premiers only need ‘little’ tweaks to defend its flag in 2023.

Cudgee, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 06: Jeremy Cameron of the Cats plays football with students during the Geelong Cats AFL Community Camp at Cudgee Primary School on February 06, 2023 in Cudgee, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

PRIZED spearhead Jeremy Cameron has his sights firmly set on a successful premiership defence, declaring Geelong only needs “little tweaks” to its game style.

The Cats were clearly the best team in 2022, with a new-and-improved game style under coach Chris Scott showing off faster ball movement and more explosive attacking plays.

Cameron, whose season haul of 65 goals was the most since his Coleman Medal winning year of 2019, said the club would not look the same in 2023.

“I think there will just be little tweaks along the way,” he said.

“We won’t change anything too extreme, we won’t make massive changes.

Jeremy Cameron during the Geelong Cats AFL Community Camp at Cudgee Primary School. Picture: Morgan Hancock

“But there’s definitely ways we can get better, little things like the personnel might be different, there’s so many different things you can look at, but it’s just about tweaking things.

“The rest of the competition probably has an eye on what we did last year and they might be tweaking their game, or I know they will be.

“It’s difficult but exciting at the same time, it’s very hard to do the same thing every year and expect to get the same result each and every time because each team does evolve and does get better.

“It’s exciting, we’re getting into that period where the match play does become the sole focus of training and when that comes around you can start to explore different things.”

Jeremy Cameron is set to be an important piece for the Cats in 2023. Picture: Morgan Hancock

Cameron’s role as a roaming centre-half-forward, combined with the slick ball movement at the Cats, resulted in the superstar enjoying career-high averages for disposals, clearances and goal assists, while also polling more Brownlow Medal votes than any other year.

But the gun forward will likely be without his partner in crime to start the year, with Tom Hawkins still recovering from off-season foot surgery.

Cameron said the club was in a good position to cover the absence of his fellow Coleman Medal winner.

“There’s definitely a number of young guys coming through, I think Scratchers (Shannon Neale) has been training up forward a lot and going really well,” Cameron said.

“Ollie Henry has been going really well and just showing off his skills at training, which has been really good to see.

“Tommy’s training really hard behind the scenes and going really well.

“So we’ll have to wait and see when he comes in but he’s going to make sure the time’s right when he does, whether that’s round one or a little bit deeper into the season.”

Originally published as Geelong Cats star Jeremy Cameron says premiers can get better in 2023