Leon Cameron feels his decision to succeed Kevin Sheedy as senior coach at AFL club Greater Western Sydney was a no-brainer.
Two days after Port Adelaide formally interviewed Cameron for their vacant senior coaching position, Cameron flew to Sydney on Wednesday to meet with the Giants.
A day later, GWS announced Cameron had joined the club on a four-year deal that involves a succession plan with Kevin Sheedy.
Cameron will work under Sheedy next season as a senior assistant and then take over in 2014.
Apart from marking the likely end of Sheedy’s legendary senior coaching career, Cameron’s appointment is also significant because it highlights the problems that Port are having in finding their man.
“Where do you go to get an opportunity to work with a four-time premiership coach … the experience you can gather from that, the advice you get?” Cameron said of Sheedy.
“On top of that, you don’t have to be Einstein – the exciting list that this club is building and the work that has already been done.
“What they’ve done already has just been a fantastic job.”
Cameron emphasised that Port was running an impressive selection process but simply found the potential at the Giants was even more impressive.
“The process that Port ran was fantastic … they’re going to find an exciting coach,” Cameron said.
“But in the end … how can you (not) start out your (senior) coaching career working with someone like Kevin Sheedy?
“It’s just outstanding and … an exciting list as well.”
Cameron missed out on the Western Bulldogs’ senior coaching role last year and comes to the Giants with a strong AFL CV.
The 40-year-old played 256 games with the Bulldogs and Richmond.
He then spent seven years at the Bulldogs as an assistant under Rodney Eade.
For the last two seasons, he has worked under Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn.
Sitting next to Cameron at the club announcement, Sheedy was impressed with his handsome successor and likened him to former Sydney coach Paul Roos.
“This is another Paul Roos, one of the best-looking Hollywood coaches I’ve seen,” said Sheedy, who cheekily nicknamed Roos the Sundance Kid.
“I might call you Butch Cassidy now.”
Sheedy will be 66 at the end of next year and this is surely his last senior coaching role.
The Giants appointed him in 2009 and gave him a one-year extension in August.
Sheedy admits the extension was probably a factor in Mark Williams leaving the club to take up a development role at Richmond.
Williams’ departure ultimately left a vacancy that Cameron has filled.
Giants chief executive David Matthews said they wanted to keep Sheedy, who has been an outstanding front man for the expansion team.
“Kevin Sheedy, of course, has been the cornerstone of this club and will continue to play an enormous role,” Matthews said.
“He’s an icon of the game, in many ways he’s single-handedly built this club.
“We think we’re on the right track.”