Geelong CEO Brian Cook has shed further light on the “messy” trade negotiations with GWS for Jeremy Cameron.
Cameron eventually signed for the Cats on a reported five-year deal in the dying stages of the trade period and Cook says it was a nerve-wracking time for all concerned.
“The best word to describe it was messy, really messy,” Cook told SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“We had seven emails ready to go and we only had to press one so to speak, but there were some renegotiations in the last 90 seconds around the deal.
“I can’t imagine how Jeremy was feeling. It was a really tight, tough and challenging last two minutes to say the least.”
Geelong handed over three first-round picks – 13, 15 and 20 – and a future fourth-round selection to the Giants while the Cats landed Cameron and got two future second-round picks back.
Cook also explained how Jack Steven’s decision to retire came about after just one season at Geelong.
“That was a joint decision,” he said.
“In the hubs you see firsthand how people live and what their challenges are and in a really human and caring way, it was obvious to us that Jack was struggling to meet the full commitments of high-performance AFL athletes and what was required.
“We met with both him and his player manager and we agreed that Jack should look at other things in life, particularly around his physical and mental health.
“It happened at the end of the hub after the Grand Final and all parties admitted and accepted that there was probably a better alternative than another year of AFL football for Jack.”
Steven, 30, decided to hang up the boots with another year to run on his Cats contract.