‘He’s been a ripper’: Alastair Clarkson pays tribute to ‘special’ Leon Cameron following his GWS exit – but will in-demand coach REPLACE his former Hawthorn assistant?
Alastair Clarkson has big shoes to fill if he is to succeed his close friend and former assistant Leon Cameron at GWS, and paid tribute to the ‘special’ coach folllowing his Giants exit.
Cameron announced that he would be stepping down from his post following the Giants’ game against Carlton this weekend, having taken the helm from Kevin Sheedy back in 2014.
The 49-year-old leaves with a record of 94 wins, 81 losses and four draws. He took the club to the 2019 grand final when thrashed by Richmond and reached the finals in five of his nine seasons, including last year.
Alastair Clarkson has paid tribute to Leon Cameron after his ‘special’ stint at GWS Giants
Cameron’s departure will pave the way for the Giants to chase renowned master coach Clarkson to become the club’s third coach since joining the AFL in 2012, with the Hawthorn legend taking a year out of football after his glittering tenure with the Hawks – where he won four flags.
And speaking on AFL360 Extra, Clarkson lauded Cameron – who was at one stage his assistant at Hawthorn – labelling the 49-year-old a ‘pioneer’ in building the franchise outfit into a respected club.
‘Class is the word for it,’ he said of Cameron’s tenure. ‘He’s been a ripper. Terrific player – both at the Doggies and the Tigers. Great assistant coach, including at the Hawks and he has gone on to be a really good coach at the GWS giants.
‘Today is a celebration of about 20 or 30 years in the game for him. [We need to] applaud him for the contribution he has made to our great game.
Cameron announced he will be stepping down from his post after this weekend’s Carlton game
Clarkson has been linked with the new post but paid tribute to his former assistant’s stint
‘For Sheeds and Leon to be the two coaches of that club and be pioneers… they are a respected club in the competition and Leon is a big part of that. They are highly regarded for how they do their business and Leon’s been a big part of creating that.’
Cameron said he will follow in the footsteps of Clarkson and take some time out of the game, but the 54-year-old has backed the outgoing GWS coach to pick up another senior role in the AFL.
‘I’ve got no doubt, I think he is very very special. He is a very good tactician but it is more of who he is as a person, they are the traits that he brings as a coach and it would be a loss to the game if he is not given an opportunity at some point in time, but like me he may want a period of time out of the game.
‘He has worked flat out. His journey is not too dissimilar to mine but there comes a point in time when you just need a spell from it.’