AFL 2022: Melbourne assistant Adem Yze gets support as Leon Cameron’s replacement as GWS coach

Leon Cameron only quit as GWS coach on Thursday, but the line-up to replace him is a strong one.

Melbourne premiership coach Simon Goodwin has endorsed his senior assistant Adem Yze as someone who would make a “fine senior coach” and would support him if he entered the process to replace Leon Cameron at GWS.

Cameron resigned on Thursday, to be replaced for the rest of 2022 by his own assistant Mark McVeigh, who shot to the top of the list in an early online market to take over the Giants in 2023.

Former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson and Essendon great James Hird, who is working at GWS as a “leadership adviser”, could also be in the mix to take over from Cameron.

Yze, who also served as an assistant coach to Clarkson at Hawthorn before rejoining his old club, was a key part of Melbourne’s premiership campaign in 2021.

He also led the Demons to victory over the Hawks in round 7 when Goodwin was sidelined with Covid to stamp his credentials as a senior coach.

“All our coaches have ability to be senior coaches in time. As a footy club we want to see our footy club progress and whatever that looks like, we’re very open about helping them progress to where they want to get to,” Goodwin said on Thursday.

“Adem I’m sure will be a fine senior coach when that time comes. From a process perspective, we’re always open to our people exploring those things and progressing their careers at the right time.”

Adem Yze will be a ‘fine senior coach’. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Goodwin said he would have no issue with Yze entering the process during the 2022 season and then seeing out the Demons’ campaign for back-to-back flags if he was successful in landing the role.

“Absolutely. We have amazing trust with our coaching staff and people that work within our footy club,” he said.

“They work for the Melbourne footy club and want the best. To see that journey through with their club is really important and we’d welcome that.”

Goodwin said it was “always a sad day in footy” when a coach at any club loses his job and the other senior coaches would support Cameron.

“Ten years as a senior coach is a long time, and it’s a tough industry,” he said.

“What I do know about Leon is he’s an outstanding person and an outstanding coach, and it’s obviously a sad day when these things transpire, and as a coaching fraternity we will reach out to Leon and get that support around him.

“It won’t be the last we see of Leon Cameron in our industry.”