Young Giants want to stick with the club: Cameron

[LostDoggy]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-02-19/giants-wont-leak-guns


GREATER Western Sydney is confident its host of out-of-contract young stars will choose to overlook lucrative rival offers to stick together and chase success.

The club faces a season in the spotlight, with key forward Jeremy Cameron, brilliant midfielder Adam Treloar and small forward Devon Smith among the players whose deals end at the close of 2015.

Will Hoskin-Elliott, Dylan Shiel and Stephen Coniglio are other emerging players who are yet to commit to the Giants beyond this season, with clubs already closely monitoring how contract talks proceed.

Ahead of his second season as Giants coach, Leon Cameron said he would never begrudge a player trying to gain maximum worth throughout his AFL career.

However, with players across the competition already "very well paid", he said it was up to clubs to build an environment which made in-demand players want to stay put.

"The really good clubs create a great culture for those players to then understand that 'I want to be part of something really special, so I'm going to sacrifice something to stay here at this club'," Cameron told AFL.com.au.

"And we feel as though we're building that at our footy club so guys are going to have to make sacrifices, because there's always going to be bigger offers elsewhere.

"There's going to be offers from other clubs saying 'If you come here we'll pay you more'.

"But in the end do you want to be remembered as a premiership player or do you want to be remembered as a player that was jumping ship all the time because of money?"

Ankle injuries and a severe ear problem diminished Cameron's influence in the forward line last year, but his coach said discussions were going well with the 21-year-old.

"I think you'd get concerned if there's no talk. With all of the guys we're having some really good dialogue with their management," he said.

"All these young players are indicating to us that they love the culture of our footy club, they love what we're building, they've been through the hard yards and they're confident the contracts will get done."

The Giants have lost five top-15 draft picks over the past two years – Jonathan O'Rourke, Kristian Jaksch, Taylor Adams, Dom Tyson and Tom Boyd – but have manoeuvered trades so that they can continue to bring in early draft picks as well as some senior depth.

Although the Giants were quick to shoot down any chance of trading No.1 pick Boyd at the end of his first season, the club later chose to offload the power forward to the Western Bulldogs in exchange for senior midfielder Ryan Griffen and pick No.6 at the draft.

"The deal went on, and we got pick six and (financial) support on Ryan's contract. It became such a good deal for us that [we thought] 'We've got to do it'," Cameron said.

"Do we want to do that all the time? No, we don't, because there's the sense of loyalty. If you want the players to be loyal to your football club, clubs have got to be loyal to players."

Wow. Just wow.

[bulldogtragic]

There's irony. Then there's this...

[Twodogs]

Yeah. Loyal.

[Sedat]

Would have been a far more positive news story for GWS if it was Jeremy Cameron being interviewed and not Leon.

[whythelongface]

"Do we want to do that all the time? No, we don't, because there's the sense of loyalty. If you want the players to be loyal to your football club, clubs have got to be loyal to players."

Hypocrite. How can he say that when he has just poached the captain and the best player from the club that he happened to play for. If you want to players to stay loyal to your club you need to practice what you preach and not rip the heart and soul from other clubs.

GWS and loyalty are an oxymoron.

[1eyedog]

Good, the loss of T Boyd obviously hurts.

[Maddog37]

I don't get the angst. The whole league is guilty of eating its young and player trades are only going to increase. GWS are no different to anyone else.

[Greystache]

I don't get the angst. The whole league is guilty of eating its young and player trades are only going to increase. GWS are no different to anyone else.

Which would be fine if they weren't also preaching the value of loyalty at the same time.

It's akin to James Hird giving a lecture on ethics.

A mercenary lives and dies by the sword, don't start trying to barter for a truce once you realise you're on the side that's going to lose.

[Maddog37]

Which would be fine if they weren't also preaching the value of loyalty at the same time.

It's akin to James Hird giving a lecture on ethics.

A mercenary lives and dies by the sword, don't start trying to barter for a truce once you realise you're on the side that's going to lose.

Fair enough but all clubs carry on with this facade.

[Twodogs]

Fair enough but all clubs carry on with this facade.


Moreso with GWS though. GWS is a holding station for raw recruits on their way to a proper club and a superannuation plan for washed up hacks. Nothing club in a nothing place that cares nothing for the game they play. So they have to keep the cliches coming to wall up the facade.

I can see the rationale for Gold Coast but GWS is a footy club in the wrong place.

[bulldogtragic]

I'm pretty sure Boyd will get lucrative sponsorship monies on top of his Million a year, AND win a premiership. I'm not sure why Leon is so negative to believe that both can happen. What a pessimist... :)

Unless he's refering to Cal Ward, then I agree.

[Maddog37]

Agreed.

[Remi Moses]

Hmm Scully, Ward ,Mr Scully, Davis and the like, me thinks a bit rich

[Twodogs]

I'm pretty sure Boyd will get lucrative sponsorship monies on top of his Million a year, AND win a premiership. I'm not sure why Leon is so negative to believe that both can happen. What a pessimist... :)

Unless he's refering to Cal Ward, then I agree.

I don't know why but I have like a premonition that he will come back.

[bornadog]

The AFL created the situation by allowing teams like GWS and GC to pick up the majority of the cream of the crop. Its inevitable when you have so many young guns that other teams are going to make a play for them.

Don't be surprised if we lose some more good payers over the next few years.

[jeemak]

The AFL created the situation by allowing teams like GWS and GC to pick up the majority of the cream of the crop. Its inevitable when you have so many young guns that other teams are going to make a play for them.

Don't be surprised if we lose some more good payers over the next few years.

On your first point, that's why we shouldn't feel at all sorry for them or worry about the rhetoric. It's purely inward focused messaging, nothing more and nothing less.

As to your second point, there's a very very good reason why we've been content to load up in recent drafts on players with similar talent levels and attributes with our mid-range picks (small to medium sized forwards, similar contested mids). We know a time will come when we will have to sacrifice some of them, and for the most part these will be the players on our list that may attract fairly reasonable coin elsewhere compared to what we're paying them when the time comes.

Make no mistake, the Bonti's, Macrae's, Libba's, Boyd's, Stringer's and Roughead's will be taken care of salary wise, and left relatively unexposed.

[Remi Moses]

Interesting story this morning that the AFL are chucking another couple of mil into them.
Looking forward to hearing there are to many teams in " Western Sydney"

[The Doctor]

GWS have got half a dozen big name young players coming out of contract. These include Cameron, Treloar, Smith, Hoskin-Elliot, Shiel & Coniglio.

I hope we are going after Hoskin Elliot big time. He is precisely what we need in our midfield.

[kruder]

GWS have got half a dozen big name young players coming out of contract. These include Cameron, Treloar, Smith, Hoskin-Elliot, Shiel & Coniglio.

I hope we are going after Hoskin Elliot big time. He is precisely what we need in our midfield.

Spot on love WHE. Would have to give up our first pick to get him but well worth it.

[KT31]

GWS have got half a dozen big name young players coming out of contract. These include Cameron, Treloar, Smith, Hoskin-Elliot, Shiel & Coniglio.

I hope we are going after Hoskin Elliot big time. He is precisely what we need in our midfield.

Would love to land Elliot or Shiel, although Shiel grew up a Blues supporter and have heard they are very interested.

[The Doctor]

Would love to land Elliot or Shiel, although Shiel grew up a Blues supporter and have heard they are very interested.

On SEN it was mentioned all the players I quoted have been approached and every Melbourne club has an iron in the fire. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

I think GWS went about it all wrong. While stockpiling all the best youngsters with the long term view that they will become a force together sounds good in theory it was never going to work. They should have invested in a few more experienced players and get a better balance. Now all the other AFL clubs are sitting nearby like vultures waiting to pick off what they can. The Tom Boyd trade has opened a pandora's box and each of these young guns will be eagerly anticipating what might be coming their way.

[azabob]

Would love to land Elliot or Shiel, although Shiel grew up a Blues supporter and have heard they are very interested.

So did Boyd and the blues were also very interested in Boyd.... ;)

[Twodogs]

I want Cameron. I'd love to have Cameron and Boyd in the same forward line.


And we'll have Cal Ward back too. He must want to play at a proper footy club again.

[bulldogtragic]

I want Cameron. I'd love to have Cameron and Boyd in the same forward line.


And we'll have Cal Ward back too. He must want to play at a proper footy club again.

Cameron would be such a massive get. Massive. I guess if we have an average year in terms of win-loss, having a very PSD pick might make it a little easier to negotiate a better deal... Or plunder their list for nothing and keep our players and our high ND picks.

[Twodogs]

Cameron would be such a massive get. Massive. I guess if we have an average year in terms of win-loss, having a very PSD pick might make it a little easier to negotiate a better deal... Or plunder their list for nothing and keep our players and our high ND picks.


The latter. *!*!*!*! 'em, they still owe us big time.

[LostDoggy]

On SEN it was mentioned all the players I quoted have been approached and every Melbourne club has an iron in the fire. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

I think GWS went about it all wrong. While stockpiling all the best youngsters with the long term view that they will become a force together sounds good in theory it was never going to work. They should have invested in a few more experienced players and get a better balance. Now all the other AFL clubs are sitting nearby like vultures waiting to pick off what they can. The Tom Boyd trade has opened a pandora's box and each of these young guns will be eagerly anticipating what might be coming their way.

There's no solid evidence that this hasn't been their plan all along: draft every good youngster and when the vultures come, let them go, but make sure you're receiving an experienced player in return, like an elite midfielder who happens to be the current captain, a good draft pick (say about pick 6) and some extra goodies thrown in (late pick swaps or a cool million to help with the salary cap).

They'd love all the kids to want to stay, but if I was GWS' list manager I'd embrace the reality internally, maximising the return on every single departee, whilst externally screaming to all and sundry that I want to keep them all. They can hardly say "We're happy to get players where they want to go" as that would diminish trade returns.

GWS could be a core part of every single key trade for the next 5 years.

[Twodogs]

There's no solid evidence that this hasn't been their plan all along: draft every good youngster and when the vultures come, let them go, but make sure you're receiving an experienced player in return, like an elite midfielder who happens to be the current captain, a good draft pick (say about pick 6) and some extra goodies thrown in (late pick swaps or a cool million to help with the salary cap).

They'd love all the kids to want to stay, but if I was GWS' list manager I'd embrace the reality internally, maximising the return on every single departee, whilst externally screaming to all and sundry that I want to keep them all. They can hardly say "We're happy to get players where they want to go" as that would diminish trade returns.

GWS could be a core part of every single key trade for the next 5 years.


It would have been quicker to just swap their draft picks for experienced players in the first place though wouldn't it? It's kind of a convoluted way to go about it but then it's obviously worked for them ending up with Griff and #6 and the salary relief.

[LostDoggy]

It would have been quicker to just swap their draft picks for experienced players in the first place though wouldn't it? It's kind of a convoluted way to go about it but then it's obviously worked for them ending up with Griff and #6 and the salary relief.

I don't think so. I don't think we'd have offered them our captain, pick 6 and a million dollars for pick one. Although I do realise of course that our situation was very different with Griff wanting to go. But show clubs a youngster who looks every bit the goods, or has proven it in Cameron's case, and suddenly there's more on the table.

[Twodogs]

I don't think so. I don't think we'd have offered them our captain, pick 6 and a million dollars for pick one. Although I do realise of course that our situation was very different with Griff wanting to go. But show clubs a youngster who looks every bit the goods, or has proven it in Cameron's case, and suddenly there's more on the table.


It's a good point, put them in the shop window for a couple of years because that exposed form is going to be far more than an abstract notion of how good some one might be at the trade table.

I never buy a brand new car for the same reason. Let somebody else own it for a year or 18 months first. Usually that's just long enough for them to get all the particular kinks in that car fixed.

[Bulldog4life]

Cameron signed with Giants till end of 2020.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-03-05/camerons-giant-contract

[Testekill]

Cameron signed with Giants till end of 2020.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-03-05/camerons-giant-contract


And for a deal that isn't much different to Boyd's. Hopefully that'll shut up the football media for a while.

[Remi Moses]

The media have run with Cameron having the "runs on the board" in comparison to Boyd.
Would also think he has a few more seasons on Tom.