Jeremy Cameron

Jeremy Cameron was selected as a 17-year-old underage recruit by the Greater Western Sydney Giants in November 2010, a year prior to their inaugural season in the AFL.[2] Cameron made his AFL debut on March 24, 2012 in the GWS Giants' first-ever AFL-Premiership-Season game in round 1 of the 2012 AFL Season, against Sydney.[3] In round 2, Cameron kicked 4 goals against North Melbourne and was awarded the round 2 nomination for the 2012 AFL Rising Star,[4] Cameron continued to show his promise when he kicked 5 goals against the Western Bulldogs in round 5, becoming the first ever GWS player to kick 5 goals in a game.[5] Cameron finished his rookie season as the club's leading goal-kicker with 29 goals, from 16 games, averaging 1.8 goals a game.

In the 2013 AFL Season, Cameron continued to show his potential in a young GWS side, his game was already being likened to that of AFL Legends Matthew Lloyd and Jonathan Brown in only his second season.[6] He received a Goal of the Year nomination for an excellent goal he kicked against Geelong in Round 11, one of four he kicked for the match.[7] In Round 18 against Collingwood, Cameron kicked seven goals in the first three quarters.[8] He finished the season by averaging 3.0 goals a game and ranked third in the Coleman Medal tally with 62 goals for the season, 6 goals behind winner, Jarryd Roughead.[9] Cameron's excellent season resulted in him being named full-forward in the 2013 All-Australian team. He was the first Giants player to ever be named an All-Australian.[9]

In the 2014 AFL Season, Cameron continued to show signs of being one the most promising Centre Half Forwards in the game, for his age. He continued to show improvement, kicking his 100th AFL goal against the Western Bulldogs in round 4, one of three that he kicked during the game.[10] Unfortunately for Cameron, injuries prevented him from replicating his previous dominate season. A perforated eardrum proved a hindrance, but repeated ankle problems were the real issue, limiting him to 14 games. He still topped the GWS goal-kicking for a third consecutive season with 29 goals on an avg of 2.1 goals a game.[11] Cameron played his 50th AFL game against Fremantle in round 17, recording 2 goals in a 76-point loss.[12]

In the 2015 AFL Season, Cameron returned to his previous career-best form, playing in every single game of the AFL home-and-away season. He kicked the season off by booting 4 goals in GWS's round 1 clash with St Kilda,[13] following that up by kicking another 4 goals in a round 4 victory against the Gold Coast Suns.[14] Cameron would then kick a mammoth 7 goals in round 6, as the Giants defeated two-time reigning premiers Hawthorn by 10 points.[15] Cameron was again, proving himself to be not only the team's most lethal forward, but one of the most lethal forwards in the competition, finishing the season as the runner-up for the Coleman Medal with 63 goals,[16] one more than his 2013 All-Australian Season. Cameron was named in the initial 2015 40-man All-Australian Squad, but missed out on making the final team. Cameron's tag as the GIANTS' 'franchise player' was consolidated when he signed a contract extension before the 2015 season that will keep him at the club until at least the end of the 2020 season.[17]

Cameron received his first-ever suspension after a high hit on Brisbane player Rhys Mathieson during the 2016 NAB Challenge, resulting in Cameron being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 AFL Season.[18] Cameron returned from suspension in round 5, recording 5 goals against St Kilda,[19] he continued this form throughout the season, kicking four or more goals on six occasions.[20] He would play in every remaining game of the home-and-away season following his round 5 return, finishing the season as GWS's leading goal-kicker for the 5th consecutive year with 53 goals, third place in the Coleman Medal.[21] Cameron played a huge role in helping GWS reach their first ever final's series, finishing the season with a 16-6 win-loss record, resulting in them finishing 4th on the ladder. Cameron kicked 4 goals in the Giants first ever final, helping them defeat Sydney by 36 points in a qualifying final.[22]

Cameron took leaps towards improving his game during the 2017 AFL Season by turning himself into a free-wheeling forward, giving himself the freedom to roam all over the ground,[23] resulting in him increasing his disposal average from 9.5 to 15.8, his average marks a game from 4.3 to 7.1, and his average kicks a game from 7.2 to 10.9.[24] Cameron started the season in tremendous form, recording 13 goals in the first three games, 4 in round 1 against the Adelaide Crows,[25] 6 in round 2 against the Gold Coast Suns,[26] and 3 in round 3 against North Melbourne.[27] Cameron was on track to having a career-best haul when he had 39 goals after round 14, but hamstring issues cut his impact significantly. Cameron missed four of the last seven games of the regular season, resulting in him finishing the season with 45 goals.[28] Cameron's impact again helped the Giants have a successful season, finishing 4th placed again with a win-loss record of 14-2-6. Cameron played in the first qualifying final against the Adelaide Crows, but again went down with a hamstring injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the finals series.[29]

Cameron started the 2018 AFL Season almost identical to his previous season with 12 goals in the first three rounds, and 35 goals after round 14, but again his season was derailed, only this time it wasn't due to an injury. Cameron was suspended for five games due to a hit on Brisbane player Harris Andrews that resulted in bleeding on the brain and a severe concussion for Andrews.[30] He returned in round 20, but only kicked 11 goals in his next six games, including only 3 goals during the Giants two finals games.[31] Cameron ended his season with 46 goals.

Cameron had a tremendous 2019 AFL Season, breaking all new career-highs for goals per game (3.3), kicks per game (11.7), marks per game (6.5), and disposals per game (16.2) along with recording a career-high 67 goals, 372 disposals, 150 marks, and 269 kicks.[32] Cameron played the most home-and-away games he has played since 2016 (20), only missing two games. In the final round of the home-and away season, round 23, Cameron was behind in the Coleman Medal tally by 6 goals, sitting at 58 while leader Ben Brown was at 64, but Cameron was able to boot a career-high 9 goals against the Gold Coast Suns to end his season with 67 goals and capture his first Coleman Medal, also becoming the first-ever GWS player to win the award, Cameron was also selected into his second All-Australian Team as full-forward.[33] Topping off a tremendous individual season for Cameron, the Giants made the finals for the fourth consecutive year, finishing 6th on the ladder. Cameron carried his strong form into finals, booting 2 goals in an elimination final victory over the Western Bulldogs and[34] 3 goals the following week in a semi-final victory over the Brisbane Lions.[35] Cameron continued to be a force for the Giants when he kicked another 3 goals against Collingwood in a preliminary final, helping GWS reach their first-ever Grand Final in club history.[36] Cameron kicked the first (and his only) goal of the 2019 AFL Grand Final in a disappointing 89-point loss to Richmond.[37]

During the 2020 Season, it was revealed that Cameron was the most highly paid player in the AFL contracted with a back-ended deal for roughly $1.5 million for 2020 (which was later reduced to $1.1 million per year due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[38]

Following the 2020 AFL season, Cameron decided to exercise his rights as a free agent and accept an offer from Geelong, which was matched by the Giants. The Giants traded Cameron to Geelong on the final day of trade period in exchange for three first-round draft picks.[39]