GWS has been warned Hawthorn set to target Stephen Coniglio and Jeremy Cameron
GWS has been put on high alert ahead of this Sunday’s clash against Hawthorn, but it’s off the field where the Hawks will hunt the Giants’ superstars. Who is in the Hawks’ sights?
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GWS has been put on high alert after claims Hawthorn are poised to launch a “ruthless” poaching raid on Giants superstars Stephen Coniglio and Jeremy Cameron.
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson set the stage for an emotive build-up to this Sunday’s clash against GWS at the MCG, after delivering a withering warning to his own organisation following their weekend loss to Melbourne.
Clarkson warned players the club would not accept continued mediocrity, and AFL great Matthew Lloyd has construed the super coach’s harsh assessment as a signal they are set to go all-out on targeting two of the AFL’s hottest properties.
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High-flying GWS will start favourites to win the battle against the Hawks on Sunday, but in the background there builds a bigger war.
Coniglio has already been linked to Hawthorn due to his friendship with Jaeger O’Meara, but Lloyd says if he were the Hawks he’d be prioritising Coleman Medal leader Cameron, who he believes can kick 100 goals this season, as his No.1 target.
Cameron doesn’t come off contract at the Giants until 2021, but rumblings out of Melbourne that Geelong and now Hawthorn might be setting themselves up for a major play at the goal kicking star may have GWS rushing to get ahead of the kerb with their own negotiations.
“He (Clarkson) does not let emotion or anyone’s history get in the way of what it takes to make Hawthorn better,” said Lloyd on the AFL’s Access All Areas.
“So he’s saying we do not wallow in the middle. To me that means possible game style change.
“And I’d be worried if I was a senior player at the club. Even if you were a good player like Ryan Burton.
“No one would have thought Burton would be playing for another club.
“(But) to get a Coniglio or possibly a Jeremy Cameron whoever it’s, he will be ruthless. Nothing would surprise me with the changes he will make at Hawthorn.”
Kicking more than 100 goals in an AFL season has been a rarity since Lloyd did it in 2000 and 2001, but he believes if the Giants play finals football, Cameron can achieve the historic mark.
One of the greatest forwards of all time said – perhaps with an element of bias – that Cameron was a better buy than midfield ace, Coniglio, who is off contract next year and reportedly commanding offers of up to $1.4 million.
“You can replace a midfielder, but not a forward, so I’d say Cameron,” said Lloyd.
Hawks boss Clarkson said he won’t tolerate mediocrity.
“Right at the minute we’re looking at our group and we’re a middle of the road side,” said Clarkson.
“It’s not going to be any of that (catastrophic change) but we’re not a side that sit around and wallow around in the middle part of the ladder for too long.”
GWS remain confident of keeping Coniglio, while Cameron told reporters on the weekend he is not thinking ahead to his next contract given it’s still two seasons away.
Originally published as GWS has been warned Hawthorn set to target Stephen Coniglio and Jeremy Cameron
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