The contenders to take over from Cameron as Giants coach

Leon Cameron’s resignation on Thursday as Greater Western Sydney coach is expected to shake up the coaching market and have ramifications for other clubs.

We look at the contenders to take over from Cameron, who departs the Giants after leading them to a grand final defeat and four other finals campaigns in his nine seasons at the helm.

Alastair Clarkson

Cameron had been a protégé of the four-time Hawks premiership coach, but his early departure now gives the Giants first crack at the decorated mentor.

This shapes as the ideal job for Clarkson, who would not need to undergo a full-scale rebuild of what is a high-quality, albeit underperforming, list with no shortage of young talent and stars still in their prime.

The expansion club’s policy of throwing open the doors would be at odds with Clarkson’s approach at Hawthorn. But there is industry speculation that the master coach, who has spent time at franchises in the US since leaving Waverley, would be different the second time around, with greater appreciation of the need to grow the game.

The fly in the ointment is the AFL may want him at its other expansion club, Gold Coast, instead.

Four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson.Credit:AFL Photos

Nathan Buckley

With his focus on defence, Buckley would be suited to bolster a side that is not short on talent but has lacked the miserliness and whole-ground defensive organisation needed to take the next step.

As one of the most recognised faces in the game, he, like Clarkson, would add much-needed star power to a club that, despite its on-field success, is struggling to cut through the tough Sydney market.

A father with young kids, he has indicated that his family situation would make it difficult for him to move out of Victoria over the next few years.

Former Pies coach Nathan Buckley has indicated he does not want to leave Victoria for family reasons.Credit:Getty Images

James Hird

The joker in the pack. The Essendon champion returned to coaching this season in a part-time leadership advisory role with the Giants. Immediately, this was seen in some circles as a threat to Cameron, even though it was the coach who rubber-stamped Hird’s appointment.

Figures at the Giants have dismissed the speculation as a case of putting two and two together and getting five. Hird’s role is also very hands-off, so it would be a huge step to jump straight back into the day-to-day grind of being the head coach.

That said, if Hird is interested in the job the Giants would not be doing their due diligence if they did not hear his case.

James Hird has been working at GWS.Credit:GWS

Ken Hinkley

Port Adelaide’s resurgence in the last month has kept the wolves at bay for Hinkley, but the Power’s precarious position means they are only a bad loss away from more scrutiny on their 10-year coach.

Unlike the above candidates, Hinkley has the advantage of being currently in the system, which means he will be on top of the constantly changing trends in the game. That said, being contracted until the end of next year means his hands are tied – and he may not want the job either, preferring instead for one last tilt at the flag at Alberton.

The pressure has eased on Power coach Ken Hinkley.Credit:AFL Photos

Adam Kingsley

The highly regarded Richmond assistant played a key role as the stoppage coach in the club’s 2019-20 premierships after lengthy spells at Port Adelaide and St Kilda. The former Port premiership player put his hat in the ring at Collingwood and Carlton last year, though later admitted he was worried about the process he went through. He would come up against an even hotter field this year if he were to apply.

Brad Scott

Twelve months ago, Scott would have been right in the mix, but the former North Melbourne coach has taken a different path as the AFL’s football manager. It would take an extremely good offer to tempt him out of administration and back into the hurly-burly of an AFL club, but he is a competitor at heart.

Brad Scott is football manager at the AFL.Credit:Paul Jeffers

Mark McVeigh

As the caretaker, the former Bomber will have the final 13 games of the season to audition for the role. In his eighth season as an assistant, McVeigh has served a lengthy apprenticeship. He started as the club’s back line coach for six years before switching to the midfield in 2021 and being promoted to Cameron’s senior assistant this year.

His chances will be dashed if the club wants an experienced coach, but imagine if the Giants, rejuvenated by a new voice, lift themselves off the canvas and make a dash for September – as they did last year?

Adem Yze

The Melbourne great’s stocks could not be higher, having joined the Demons as the coach of their powerful midfield for their drought-breaking premiership. He was previously part of the Hawks’ coaching panel in their flags in 2013-15. Yze had a taste of life as senior coach when he deputised for Simon Goodwin and won.

Don Pyke

There’s a former senior coach still involved in league football sitting almost right under the Giants’ nose. Pyke, Sydney’s senior assistant, was credited with helping develop a more attacking game plan last year for the Swans, though the building blocks had been in place since late 2020. The former Adelaide coach would not need to move city or even move house to take this job – but would he want it?

Ross Lyon

They do not come better credentialed than the hard-nosed former St Kilda and Fremantle coach, but it will have been three years since he sat in a coach’s box. He was favourite for the job at Carlton but has since expressed relief he missed out, saying he no longer has the energy for such a demanding role.

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