GWS Football Director Jimmy Bartel has confirmed he will be a member of the panel put together to select the club’s next senior coach.
The Giants parted ways with Leon Cameron last week, with Mark McVeigh to take over for the remainder of the season. Both Dean Solomon and James Hird have been called up for roles to help fill the void.
“We’ll probably start putting some stuff together later this week. We felt out of respect for Leon that you start having those discussions after he’s had the send-off that he deserved,” Bartel told Sportsday.
The Geelong legend said the club was not looking to rebuild and still had a lot to decide on what they want going forward.
“I don’t think it’s a rebuild. We’ve got a lot of talent on the list and we’ve had a couple of good drafts as well,” Bartel added.
“So, not rebuild. Refresh? I think it’s more that.
“I think when we put our heads together of what we’re looking for as a coach, it’s also what we’re looking for in the football department as a whole.
“I heard you talking about this, where you go with your coach also can set what you’re able to do and what you can do with your football department with the soft cap and the spend.
“You’ve got to see ‘what are the priorities that we need at the Giants’, all clubs will be doing this, but obviously we’re looking for a new coach, you’ve got to spread that money across as many of the needs as possible.
“Some coaches are very good at one thing, others are good at a couple of things and other senior coaches, you can put them in and you need to fill other areas as well with that spend.”
The 2007 Brownlow Medallist paid tribute to the departing Cameron, saying his blueprint will last indefinitely.
“I think as a club and as a coach it was handled about as well as it could’ve been done. It’s what he deserved, a classy send-off for a classy individual who has always put the club first and he has had a massive impact on the footy club,” he said.
“Anyone can be a coach, but he was the coach of a start-up and his values are well and truly entrenched in the footy club. I think the whole week was done the way it should’ve been done for someone like Leon Cameron.”
GWS hosts West Coast at Giants Stadium on Sunday afternoon in McVeigh’s first game at the helm.
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