Leon Cameron’s move to the boundary sparks Giants’ AFL revival
If a change is as good as a holiday then Leon Cameron's decision to coach his GWS troops from the boundary line instead of the coaches box may have proven to be a masterstroke.
The Giants began 2018 as one of the premiership favourites, but by round 10 their season looked all but over.
External Link: Interview: Leon Cameron
A humiliating 35-point home defeat to Essendon capped off a torrid run of four matches without a win, which left them sitting in 11th place and their finals ambitions in tatters.
Desperate times call for desperate measures and it was this point Cameron decided he needed to take a new approach if he was to rekindle the Giants' stuttering campaign.
Cameron's unorthodox shift to the boundary to coach at ground level has seemingly done the trick, with the Giants winning seven of their past eight matches — a run that includes a victory over reigning premiers Richmond.
"During that four-week patch where we lost four in a row we clearly weren't playing a brand of footy that we were proud of," Cameron told Grandstand.
"I've been coaching from the bench for the last eight weeks and haven't been in the coaches' box in that time."
The Giants now sit fifth on the AFL ladder, only two points outside the top four, and Cameron credited calling the shots from the boundary with improving the team's morale.
"Clearly, we were down on confidence when we lost those four games, you can talk to your players easier (on the boundary) than being on a phone," he said.
"So, when they come off we talk, we discuss what issues are confronting us around stoppages or how we're moving the footy."
Cameron said there were some obvious disadvantages to coaching at ground level but the positives were currently outweighing the negatives.
"I found it tough at the start because I can't see the other side of the ground well, but really enjoyable because my interactions with the players is really good," he said.
Giants to welcome back Cameron
The Giants travel to Docklands next Sunday to take on the bottom-placed Carlton and the GWS squad will be bolstered by the return of star forward Jeremy Cameron from a five-match suspension.
They have recently been deploying a makeshift forward line with young forward Harry Himmelberg leading the attack, in the absence of Cameron and fellow forward Jon Patton, who is sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Leon Cameron said he had been impressed with the 22-year-old Himmelberg after his four-goals haul in Saturday's 25-point point win over St Kilda in Homebush.
"He's had to step up in the absence of Patton and Cameron, one injured one suspended," he said.
"And I'm really pleased … for him to step up in the last five weeks without Jeremy there is fantastic for the footy club."
Cameron said the victory over the Saints was hardly pretty but it was the kind of "ugly" win the Giants needed.
"But we've still had a lot of injuries in these last few months, I just think they've found a way to win gritty, and a bit more determined and a few more of those unorthodox wins that we see each week," he said.
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