AFL great Gerard Healy slams league for sending goal kicking superstars the way of the dodo

GWS star Jeremy Cameron’s charge towards 100 goals is defying an AFL attempt to make goalkicking heroes extinct, according to Brownlow Medal great, Gerard Healy.

Jeremy Cameron’s charge towards 100 goals has been hailed as an uprising against the AFL’s “tragic” attempts to kill off the superstar full forward.

Former Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy launched a scathing attack on administrators at the NSW Greatest AFL team of all time function on Thursday in Sydney, adamant the AFL has tried to destroy the game’s No. 1 attraction.

Not since Lance Franklin in 2008 has 100 goals been kicked in a season, but Healy believes the avoidable trends towards extinction started well before that.

Healy described the drought as a blight on the game which has caused the same damage to the sport’s fabric as if American football was to ever make quarterbacks obsolete.

For that reason, Healy said football fans should “get down on their knees and pray” that GWS Giants ace Cameron can defy the system and kick the magic ton this season.

Jeremy Cameron leads the Coleman Medal race. Picture Sarah Reed

AFL legends Wayne Carey and Matthew Lloyd believe that Cameron can achieve the feat in this year’s finals series — and the statistics back-up their confidence, with Cameron sitting on 30 goals after just seven rounds, a comparable marker to past greats who have kicked the ton.

Former Sydney Swans great and respected Fox Footy commentator Healy said Cameron’s heroics against the odds this year only highlighted the heinous crime that’s been committed by the AFL system.

“I think the game and the AFL’s allowance that the superstar full forward has become almost the dodo, is one of the great tragedies of the sport,” said Healy.

“If I look back at Tony Lockett, Warwick Capper, Peter McKenna, you go back all the way … the superstars of our game are the 100 goal kickers.

“It’s a bit like the NFL letting quarterbacks go.

“Bringing a code to the northern shores (like Sydney) and at the same time allowing the game to evolve to a period where our greatest attraction has been coached or ruled out of the game, just belies logic.”

Cameron is in career-best form. Pic: Getty Images

But Healy believes Cameron provided a beacon of hope.

“Jeremy Cameron is on 30 (goals) in 2019. We should all get down on our knees and if you believe in the almighty or even if you just believe in the footy Gods, let’s just pray that Jeremy Cameron, from a pretty sweet spot, can get 100 goals,” he said.

“Because that alone will bring more supporters to the Giants and more supporters to our game.”

Carey said Cameron was a “massive chance” and praised the Giants star to getting back to what works for him after losing his way for a few seasons.

“He was all-Australian in his first year so he was always going to be a star. I think he got away from what he did in his first year,” said Carey.

“He’s got back to how you should play the position and that’s why he’s getting the results.

“I actually think he’s a massive chance and wouldn’t it be great to see a key forward kick a ton.”

Matthew Lloyd had kicked 36 goals by round seven in 2000 when he went on to boot 100 goals. In 2001, Lloyd had only kicked 28 after seven weeks.

In 2004, Fraser Gherig had 31 at the same point, and in 2008, Franklin had 36.

Originally published as AFL great Gerard Healy slams league for sending goal kicking superstars the way of the dodo