Jeremy Cameron decided over the weekend he wanted to be a Geelong player, with the desire to be closer to family the critical factor.
The restricted free agent on Monday dropped the bombshell on GWS, nominating the Cats as his club of choice – more than a year after Geelong registered its interest in the All-Australian goalkicker.
Cameron’s pending departure means the Giants stand to lose three restricted free agents in one off-season after Zac Williams (Carlton) and Aidan Corr (North Melbourne) already told the club they wanted out.
Also, out-of-contract midfielder Jackson Hately has requested a trade to Adelaide, while uncontracted goalsneak Zac Langdon wants to join West Coast. Jye Caldwell is unsigned and being courted by St Kilda and Essendon.
But Cameron, 27, is the major blow, deciding to leave with a resume that includes the 2019 Coleman medal and dual All-Australian gongs. He was the Giants’ leading goalkicker in each of his nine seasons.
At Geelong he would form a lethal key forward double act alongside Tom Hawkins.
Cameron’s manager, Alex McDonald of Hemisphere Management Group, said Cameron felt the time was right to move back to his home state and closer to his family in Mount Gambier and western Victoria.
“He loves the Giants and he’s been wrestling with this for some time, but it’s a family-based decision,” McDonald told sen.com.au.
“With his partner Indie (Indiana Putra), he’s been thinking about it for a while, to be honest. They’ve been thinking about what the future looks like for them as a couple, but the short-term focus for Jeremy was more around his own family.
“He went up there (Sydney) as a 17-year-old, he’s been up there for 10 years and the opportunity for him to come back and be back closer to family and friends in Victoria - you don’t know whether that chance will present itself again any time soon.
“He was humbled. He obviously had plenty of interest and I won’t go into the other parties out of respect for them. There’s a lot of great football clubs out there, but this one lined up beautifully with the family and the off-field lifestyle and he’s very much an outdoors person.
“All of those things combined, along with the fact the Cats are a very consistent and stable footy club, meant it lined up. It was the right time for him in the end.
“He understands there’s still a process and still lots to work through, but he’s nominated the Cats.”
Sources indicated Geelong’s contract offer for Cameron would trigger a first-round draft pick under the AFL’s free agency formula, but the Giants will command two first-round picks, pointing to Dylan Shiel and Adam Treloar’s recent moves to Essendon and Collingwood, respectively.
GWS chief executive Dave Matthews told Sportsday it was “highly likely” GWS would match Geelong’s offer, which would force the Cats into a trade.
Geelong has picks 11, 13 and 16 in this year’s draft and also has an interest in North Melbourne’s Shaun Higgins, Adelaide restricted free agent Brad Crouch and Hawthorn free agent Isaac Smith.
In last year’s trade with West Coast for Tim Kelly, the Cats received picks 14, 24 and 37 for Kelly, pick 57 and a future third-round selection.
What is a huge coup for the Cats paints an increasingly-bleak picture for GWS, who look like being forced back to the draft for the loss of the key forward, Williams and Corr, when perhaps established players would hold more appeal.