Why GWS Giants coach Leon Cameron suddenly decided to quit mid-season

GWS Giants coach Leon Cameron has put speculation about his future to bed by deciding to walk away after one more game in charge.

Leon Cameron is stepping down as GWS Giants coach midway through the season.

He will oversee his final game against Carlton this weekend before walking away, with assistant coach Mark McVeigh to take over for the rest of 2022.

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Speaking at a media conference in Sydney on Wednesday, Cameron revealed why he decided now was the right time to put away the clipboard, calling it a “mutual decision” between coach and club.

“I’ve been here for just short of 10 years and you assess where you’re going,” Cameron said, adding the club made a “really mature” decision to delay contract talks with him until the end of the year.

“On Tuesday when I caught up with Dave (CEO Dave Matthews) we said the time is right to have a little bit of breathing space for the club to look for its next coach.

“It’s a tough job and it can wear you down.

“I’m really proud to say that’s a joint decision.

“The time is right for our footy club to look for its next senior coach.”

Elaborating further on why stepping away is the best decision for him on a personal level, Cameron added: “I get to spend time with my lovely wife … I get to see my kids play sport.

“When you’re in this environment and you are the senior coach, it’s non-stop — there’s no break.

“If I’ve waned a little bit in a per cent or two then that’s helped make me come to this decision and the club come to this decision.

“It’s the right result, it’s a good decision for both parties.”

Leon Cameron is walking away. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

There has been plenty of speculation around Cameron’s future after it emerged earlier this year contract talks with the Giants had been put on hold.

Former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson’s name has been thrown around as a possible replacement for Cameron at the AFL’s newest club.

The four-time premiership mentor has been absent from clubland this year after being moved out of Hawthorn at the end of last season, replaced by Sam Mitchell, and is said to be weighing up his next coaching gig.

There was also debate in the footy world earlier this year about whether James Hird, who joined the Giants as a leadership adviser at the start of the year, could be primed to take over from Cameron should the club look to make a change.

Cameron’s contract was going to expire at the end of 2022 but he has decided to walk before potentially being pushed.

The 49-year-old said in April he wouldn’t allow uncertainty over his future to faze him or impact the Giants.

“I’d love to sit here and say we’re going to win the next 18 in a row, then I’d be a genius, but we know there’s going to be speculation,” Cameron said at the time.

“That’s always going be there. It’s heightened when you lose, when you lose poorly or you lose a couple in a row, but that is what it is.

“I’ve been dealing with that for a number of years.

“In this job you’ve got to be able to deal with what comes your way in terms of that scrutiny.

“It’s a high-pressure job and one that I enjoy, but by the time we get around to the weekend I’m fully focused on footy, so that doesn’t bother me.”

The Giants will have to deal with a new coach midway through the season. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

Cameron has led the Giants for nearly nine seasons, becoming the Sydney club’s second ever coach after taking over from AFL icon Kevin Sheedy in 2014.

GWS has come a long way from the regular thrashings they copped in their early days, becoming a finals mainstay under Cameron’s guidance. They made a grand final in 2019, which they lost to Richmond, and won games in four other finals series.

But they’ve had a rough start to 2022, winning just twice from their opening eight games and heaping pressure on Cameron, who chose to leave on his own terms.

After a 17-point loss to St Kilda in Round 6, dropping the Giants to 1-5 — their worst start to a season since 2013 — the coach was optimistic his troops could turn things around. However, if that does happen, Cameron won’t be at the helm.

With NCA NewsWire