Lions aim to lighten the load

Brisbane Lions doing high-altitude training in Arizona. Source: The Courier-Mail

HIGH-ALTITUDE training is still at the cutting edge of physical conditioning, according to Brisbane Lions, who began their Arizona boot camp this weekend.

While at least half of the 18 AFL clubs are destined for pre-season conditioning stints on higher ground, the value of training in the thinner air is being questioned.

West Coast's sport science team is not convinced such summer camps provide lasting benefits, while Port Adelaide's high-performance manager Darren Burgess argues that heat training can be more beneficial.

"Altitude has certainly been pretty popular with a lot of the clubs and a lot of the disciplined sports like cycling and running.

"But we'll stick to the heat in Adelaide I reckon," Burgess said.

After last year's experiment with their leadership group, Brisbane has sent the senior half  of their list to Flagstaff's Northern Arizona University where they will spend the next fortnight hiking, running, climbing, cycling and lifting, all at 2500m above sea level.

Strength and conditioning coach Matt Hass says their point of difference - and perhaps competitive advantage - is a less-is-more approach.

"We're not here for the traditional reasons, and we're comfortable with that," he said. "We're not looking for real blood changes. Our philosophy is to reduce their running load to get them through to Christmas really healthy and fit."

The scientific thinking behind altitude training is: less oxygenated air at higher altitude makes it harder to breathe - therefore the body adapts by increasing red blood cells or triggering a shift in metabolism.

Once back at sea level, it means the athlete experiences performance gains for the same perceived effort.

The benefits of altitude training for two weeks or more can last a month.

Lions captain Jonathan Brown stayed home to be with family after the birth of his second child last weekend but was so convinced in the method he installed an altitude room at his Morningside fitness centre.

Another club veteran, Simon Black, had a leave pass until Christmas but insisted on travelling to Arizona.

"Just walking down to the training fields, you start to feel your lungs burn a little," full back Daniel Merrett said.

"Last year I got super fit here." There are other benefits, such as the effect of a training camp.

"Being around each other for two weeks, the quality training in different surroundings is stimulating," Hass said.

For the whole two weeks all they do is eat, sleep and train - an environment that drives a spirit of unity and cohesion.

"Blacky's in his 15th year and I've been here about 10 years. It's  a nice change of scenery," Merrett said. "We're in each other's back pockets a bit, with no distractions, and that builds a bit of a bond."

Then there are the excellent facilities. The Lions have access to Skydome, a $30 million, 10,000-seat university stadium where they can train beneath the roof, which shields them from single-digit temperatures.

There is a gym with 30 tonnes of free weights which, according to Hass, is "very American. It's more than what we need".

Indoor and outdoor rock climbing, an indoor athletics track and endless mountainbike and running trails add to the overall package.

"The facilities are like nothing we've seen in Queensland. We fell very lucky to be here," Merrett said.

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Cook D-Day looms for Cats

Geelong could learn Brian Cook's fate as early as Wednesday. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

GEELONG could learn on Wednesday whether chief executive Brian Cook will make a shock switch to North Melbourne.

Industry speculation is rife Cook is weighing up a lucrative offer to become the Roos' new CEO after a highly successful 12-year reign at Geelong.

Geelong president Colin Carter plans to meet with Cook this week, following his return from a holiday in Nepal over the weekend. Cook has been trekking to the Mt Everest base camp with his son.

The man widely regarded as one of Australian sport's top administrators is due back at the club on Wednesday, which marks his 57th birthday.

Carter said the Cats were hopeful of keeping their long-term CEO, but have pledged not to stand in his way. 

"Obviously he's being chased by other people, but that happens to a lot of our people all of the time," Carter said.

"We will talk about what that means, as we do with everyone.

"We hope he stays, but at the end of the day, there are lot of issues that go into making decisions. So, we'll see how we go."

Cook is contracted to Geelong next season but could be enticed by a new challenge helping guide the Roos beyond the AFL's next broadcast rights agreement in 2016. 

The Roos, led by chairman James Brayshaw, have been intent on landing a top-flight CEO to replace Eugene Arocca, who quit after a fall-out with other club figures on June 5.

Cook's signature would be a massive coup for North as it endeavours to consolidate a second home base in Hobart and continue to build a growing membership.

Cook took over Geelong in 1999 after a nine-year stint at West Coast.

Wiping off a $7 million debt, he helped transform the Cats from a financial basket case to an on and off-field powerhouse. 

In that time, the club has won three premierships in six years and posted 12 straight profits under a business plan, which has attracted nationwide acclaim, entitled "Good to Great".

The Cats will play night games for the first time at Skilled Stadium next year as part of the continued redevelopment of its home ground.

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Brown can be a force, says Priddis

BRIGHT FUTURE: West Coast defender Mitch Brown is an important part of the club's defensive depth, says Matt Priddis. Source: Getty Images

WEST Coast midfielder Matt Priddis has thrown a challenge to teammate Mitch Brown, refusing to believe the defender is fourth-fiddle in a strong Eagles backline.

Brown has a year to run on his contract, but went through a tumultuous trade period after declaring his desire to join St Kilda due to a lack of playing opportunity in the west.

The 23-year-old, who recently got engaged to partner and West Coast Fever netballer Shae Bolton, sits behind skipper Darren Glass, the club's Player of the Finals Eric Mackenzie and Will Schofield in the key position stakes.

But Priddis said Brown was more than capable of leapfrogging his way into the best 22.

"Obviously, he's got his family and friends in Melbourne, but he's been at West Coast since he was 17," Priddis said.

"The opportunity for him is there and I'm a big believer that, if he gets a full pre-season into him with no injuries, then he's as good an athlete as we've got.

"He could force his way into the side on form and that should be his absolute focus; to make sure he has the best pre-season possible and puts his hat in the ring to be in the starting 18.

"He's definitely capable of doing that and it's great we've been able to keep him, he's a good guy to have around the club and he'll be a good guy to fill Darren's shoes once he does decide to retire."

Brown's request to head east came amidst an active trade period for West Coast as the club moved away from its recent development mindset of utilising higher picks, instead bringing in the WA trio of Collingwood's Sharrod Wellingham, Melbourne midfielder Cale Morton and small Saints utility Jamie Cripps.

Premiership on-baller Daniel Kerr said the personnel focus reminded him of the build-up to the Eagles' 2006 flag, when the club brought in the hard bodies of Hawthorn's Daniel Chick and Adelaide's Tyson Stenglein.

"We seem to have a squad capable of making the four, we just need a couple of additions, a couple of tweaks and a little bit of a better run of good luck with injuries and I think we'll be a force," Kerr said.

"Morton has a lot of talent, he was an extremely high draft pick and you don't lose that talent overnight, so hopefully he can come home to WA and break into the side. Wellingham's a proven performer and he can only bring strength to our side."

Priddis and Kerr are supporting the Sunshine Beach Run, dedicated to anyone touched by the death of a child, with aims to raise funds for research into SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and SUDC (Sudden Unexpected Death of a Child), while providing grief counselling for those affected by the loss.

The second instalment of the run will be held on Sunday, February 10, with distances ranging from a 1km run/walk to a 5km run/walk.

Go to www.sunshinebeachrun.com.au

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Crows missed a shot at Clark

Melbourne ruckman Mitch Clark talks with coach Mark Neeld. Picture: Quinn Rooney. Source: Getty Images

ADELAIDE could have had Mitch Clark in a straight swap deal for Kurt Tippett last year if the Crows had have put the right offer to him.

The former Brisbane forward, below, shocked the AFL by signing with Melbourne, after strongly indicating he would only consider offers from his home state of WA.

Clark's manager Colin Young yesterday revealed the 198cm spearhead would have been open to a move to the Crows, which in hindsight may have been Adelaide's best replacement option for wantaway forward Tippett.

"Adelaide never came up, never ever came up," Young said.

"Mitch would have gone. There's no problems with Adelaide, they're a great club. You wouldn't mind any player going there ...

"In the end Melbourne's presentation was too good to refuse (but) the Crows could have matched the offer." At the time Brisbane was strongly pursuing Tippett, but only offering the Crows pick No. 8 in the draft and a later pick.

The Lions didn't offer Clark and the Crows didn't inquire about him because of the perception he was determined to move to Fremantle.

"Mitch Clark was going to Freo," Crows list manager David Noble said.

"All the discussion through that initial period of time with (Brisbane national talent manager Rob Kerr) was that was absolutely where he was going to go."

Whether the Crows would have been better off with Clark, particularly given what they stand to get for Tippett now, is a question all Adelaide supporters will be asking themselves.

Clark kicked 29 goals in 11 games before suffering a season-ending foot injury against GWS in Round 13. Tippett kicked 39 goals in 21 games but was hampered by a string of concussions.

Noble said it was "an interesting debate".

"I think if you went back and had a look at Tippett's year versus Clark's year, who is front?" he said.

"If you go back and have a look at the way Kurt pulled himself together in that last final, it was outstanding."

Noble said Clark wasn't on the club's radar at the time because they were banking on keeping Tippett at the club.

He said it would have been difficult to pull a last-minute trade for Clark because the club hadn't gone down the path of monitoring his form, investigating his character and all the other processes it goes through before pursuing a player.

"At no point did we have Kurt Tippett on the table last year to be traded. He was a required and a contracted player," Noble said.

"Our clear directive from a club perspective - with a new coach coming in - was that we wanted to back ourselves in to keep him."

At the time, Noble was also confident that the continued development of Josh Jenkins, Shaun McKernan and Lewis Johnston would leave the club in a good position to cover Tippett, if he left a year later.

"We still felt we had enough in the group we were going to develop underneath to step into that breach," he said.

In retrospect, Noble appears comfortable with the club's decision to take it's chances with Tippett, despite having lost him without compensation.

"I'm not a big one for looking in the rear vision mirror - we've made the call," he said.

"We played in finals and we were five points short of playing in a Grand Final... quite often it's easier in hindsight.

"Having also coached in the forward line, I know that quite often Kurt would take the number one (defender) so Taylor Walker than has a slight change in his defensive player who might play on him.

"Kurt's reliability in his competitiveness has been something that has helped out our small blokes on the deck as well."

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Power may re-draft Jacobs

Ben Jacobs will for the draft, where the Power will have the option to re-draft him. Picture: Simon Cross. Source: adelaidenow

PORT Adelaide will consider re-drafting Ben Jacobs, despite the defender quitting the AFL club and nominating for this month's national draft.

Victoria-born Jacobs on Friday told Port he will nominate for the November 22 draft, hoping to be picked up by a Melbourne club.

But Port say they could re-draft the 20-year-old.

Port and North Melbourne failed to strike a deal for Jacobs during last month's AFL trade period.

The Kangaroos offered draft pick 38, which the Power refused.

"We were not prepared to let Ben go for a pick that was below his value," Port's football general manager Peter Rohde said on Friday.

"Had North Melbourne been willing to negotiate over their first round No.15 pick, we would have been able to come to an arrangement, but they were adamant that wasn't on the table.

"Port Adelaide wanted to do the right thing by Ben but we make no apology for protecting the club's interest and not allowing it to be cornered."

Port used pick 16 at the 2010 draft to recruit Jacobs.

Rohde said he tried to convince Jacobs to stay at Port, where he played 26 AFL games.

"Everyone can see by the opportunities Ben was given here that we rate him highly," Rohde said.

"It certainly wasn't a case of Ben being unhappy at Port Adelaide but in the end it was more about a calling to be back in Victoria with his family and friends, and where he sees his future."

Rohde said Port would consider selecting Jacobs again at the draft later this month.

"We might lose Ben and if we do we hope it works out very well for him, but it won't always work that way for a player and we have stood firm as a club to make our position clear to everyone," he said.

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Laws to combat AFL's hard knocks

Kurt Tippett in the hands of Crows medical staff after being concussed. Picture: Tait Schmaal. Source: adelaidenow

THE AFL's concussion management guidelines are set for another overhaul following an international conference on the issue.

Soon after fining North Melbourne $20,000 for a lack of co-operation with an investigation into the way it handled Lachlan Hansen's heavy head knock in round 20, the league said it would revise its concussion rules for the 2013 season.

This comes after the AFL had three representatives, including AFL Medical Commissioner Dr Peter Harcourt, attend the Fourth International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport in Zurich last week.

"This global conference has again provided us with invaluable information that can be applied to our own concussion management policies," Dr Harcourt said.

"The AFL had strong representation at the conference and the management of concussion in the AFL was discussed.

"It confirmed that the AFL concussion strategy is robust and reflects current best practice."

But changes are in the wind.

The AFL is proposing to include a requirement for club doctors to make greater use of video footage of the injury incident in their assessment of player fitness.

There will also be a necessity for medical supervision of any follow-up self-assessment tests conducted by players.

The AFL will also adopt a "completely new approach" to the management of concussion in children, including those involved in the Auskick program.

The conference reinforced the AFL's approach that there is no scientific evidence that helmets prevent concussion or other brain injuries.

On the advice of the AFL and medical staff, wantaway Crow Kurt Tippett did not wear a helmet this year despite being concussed three times in five weeks.

"The evidence presented reinforced the AFL's current approach to the use of helmets, that is, there is no definitive scientific evidence that helmets specifically prevent concussion or other brain injuries in Australian football," Dr Harcourt said.

The new consensus guidelines will be released in March.

The Kangaroos, meanwhile, have been hit hard in the hip pocket after the AFL found them guilty of breaching a rule that requires clubs to fully co-operate and provide all relevant information and evidence to AFL investigators. Half of the club's $20,000 fine will be suspended for three years.

Football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the AFL found insufficient evidence to substantiate a breach of its concussion rules over the treatment of Hansen but that it was extremely concerned by North's lack of co-operation during an investigation into his welfare.

"Whilst there was no finding that there was any attempt to deliberately mislead investigators, North Melbourne now accepts that its conduct at times was not at a standard acceptable to an AFL investigation," Anderson said.

Key forward Hansen was assisted from the ground in a groggy state and later returned to the field during North's 24-point win against Essendon in round 20.

The AFL investigation was sparked when Roos' co-vice-captain Drew Petrie said on radio that he had seen Hansen vomiting at half-time.

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Arizona revitalises Suns star Brennan

Gold Coast Suns star Jared Brennan breaks a tackls against the Giants. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail

JARED Brennan hated football last season. So much so the thought of giving up the sport which shot him to stardom constantly crossed his mind.

"There were a lot of times I thought about giving up," Brennan admitted.

"All my family is from Darwin and there was always the whisper that if we are not happy we will just head back to Darwin and be happy again."

The former Brisbane Lions star who came to the Suns on a seven-figure deal conceded he didn't sit at home watching AFL and that training was a chore. Last year he didn't even like the sport.

He didn't even hang out with his teammates.

"Because I don't watch football or live football it's very easy to take myself away from it."

Sensationally dropped for the second time in 2012 for the Suns clash against Carlton in Round 22, Brennan's 10-year career had hit a new low.

Senior coach Guy McKenna publicly questioned his passion and intensity but Brennan knew he had already lost both qualities long before then.

"I guess a month into the season I felt that way, that I didn't care about football much any more," he said.

"It was a chore to go to training every day and like anything when you don't love it and have the passion for it you just don't want to do it any more.

"It was hard to take at the time (when I got dropped for the second time last season) but looking back now it was warranted.

"I had no love for the game and I didn't feel like playing football."

The end of the season couldn't come quick enough for Brennan.

While the Suns had already made it clear he wasn't going to be traded at season's end, the 28-year-old still had to work out if he wanted to play on.

"I went away at the end of the season and turned my phone off for about a month and I just had to see what was really important to me," he said.

"Whether that was to stop playing football or (keep going)."

He chose the latter and so far the choice has been the right one.

Brennan has been one of the big improvers on the Sun's pre-season camp in Arizona, surprising McKenna and even his teammates.

"This camp was a big test for me to see if I still love the game and so far all the signs are pretty good," Brennan said.

"This is the first pre-season for a while where I haven't been coming off an operation and I've tried to make the most of that.

"I didn't do much weights over the break and pretty much just ran all the time.

"I wanted to hit the ground running from day one."

And it's not the only change Brennan has made this pre-season.

Apart from his rejuvenated attitude, the quietly spoken individual has made a conscious effort to develop relationships with his teammates in Arizona.

He conceded keeping problems to himself was his biggest mistake.

"I'm a pretty private person and I didn't say much around the group last season and I didn't want to be there," he admits.

"Looking back it probably made things worse.

"I didn't really go to anyone to seek help last season and that probably escalated my lack of passion for AFL.

"So I've made a conscious effort to get around the boys as much as I can this pre-season."

Building friendships within the club is the way Brennan hopes to re-ignite his passion for the game.

A strong friend base was pivotal to his success at Brisbane and after all this is why he decided to play the game in the first place.

"The only reason you play football is to play with teammates," he said.

"Otherwise I would be playing golf, boxing or something like that."

Despite the positive early signs, Brennan admits he has a long way to go.

With the club only into its third week of pre-season, Brennan knows the real test is still to come.

"This is probably the time when you really need to love the game, in the pre-season," he said.

"I knew during last season I hated playing footy but I guess we will wait and see at the end of the pre-season."

With this in mind, Brennan is making no guarantees.

Unlike most players his age, he isn't preaching that he still has a few good seasons left.

But rather just taking it one step at a time.

"I will just take it season by season from here," he said.

"All the signs are good so far and hopefully this camp holds me in good stead."

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Lions not tempted on Tippett

Kurt Tippett leaves Adelaide for Queensland back in October, before his controversial decision to leave the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: adelaidenow

ADELAIDE was prepared to cash in and trade Kurt Tippett to Brisbane last year for a boom SA youngster and a draft pick, it has been revealed.

As the Crows await their punishment from the AFL for salary cap breaches, a key Adelaide insider said the club tried to deal for either Jared Polec or Jack Redden when the Lions pushed hard to sign Tippett in last year's trade period.

Queenslander Tippett had agreed to a move north but a trade fell through when the Lions refused to offer anything more than pick 12 and their compensatory selection at No. 30.

"If Polec or Redden was offered to us then Kurt would probably be a Brisbane player now," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Kurt was under contract at the time but we feared we might lose him at the end of this year anyway so we tried to work what we thought would be a good deal for both clubs.

"Jared was certainly keen to come home but unfortunately Brisbane didn't come to the party."

Adelaide would have accepted either midfielder, Polec or Redden, and draft pick number 30 for Tippett.

The Crows have long been admirers of former Woodville-West Torrens wingman Polec, who was drafted at pick five in the 2010 national draft, while it also rates former Glenelg ball-magnet Redden highly.

Lions national talent manager Rob Kerr - who now looks certain to miss out on Tippett for a second consecutive year as the key forward pushes for a move to premier Sydney - said his club wasn't prepared to give up one of its key midfielders.

"Had we agreed to move one of our South Australian youngsters, then a deal may have been done," Kerr said.

"Kurt and his management had, at that time, agreed to the move if a trade could be completed.

"But just like Adelaide, we valued our players and are backing ourselves in as a club to retain these highly rated youngsters."

The Crows' attempts to get draft pick eight from Brisbane also failed as it kept the selection to draft classy teenage tall Billy Longer from Northern under-18s.

Brisbane made another big play for Tippett in this year's trade period but looks set to lose him to Sydney, which he surprisingly nominated as his preferred club.

The AFL quashed a trade because of side deals in Tippett's last contract but will likely allow him to enter the national draft on November 22.

The Lions pick well before the Swans but Tippett is understood to have put a $1 million-a-season price tag on his head, which makes it tough for rivals to match as Sydney has extra money in its salary cap.

Kerr said quality key forwards were "rare beasts".

"As one of our recruiters outlined, there are about 12 genuinely good ones in the world, and the rest are either hopefuls developing or are not going to make it," he told the AFL website. "Hence our interest in Kurt Tippett."

Kerr said the Lions were still monitoring Tippett's availability but admitted that Sydney was well placed as its initial offer would be very difficult for other clubs to match.

Kerr hit out at the Swans being allowed to have an extra 9.8 per cent total player payment allowance because of the harbour city's cost of living expenses, claiming it was too much of a free kick.

"The AFL is now managing several questions about the evenness of the competition," he said.

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Taking Aussie football to the world

Shao Liang Chen, from the Guangdong Province in China, was tested at this year's AFL draft camp. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

AUSTRALIAN football envisages having semi-professional competitions overseas to draw talent to the AFL.

Australian football is in an expansion phase, with an estimated 100,000 players outside of Australia expected to rise to 200,000 by 2016.

But as much as Australia's indigenous game is spreading across the globe, it is becoming more mindful that its core is in and around Australia, with the growth markets being Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and China.

Players from all of those regions are now being scrutinised, with the best invited to be tested by the AFL this year including Chen Shao Liang from the Guangdong Province in China, Gideon Simon from Mt Hagen in Papua New Guinea, Kurt Heatherley from New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, Sean Hurley from Ireland's Kildare and Eric Wallace from Winston-Salem, a former basketballer from Seattle University.

Talent scouts believe interest in overseas players will explode if they begin to take the game more seriously in other countries.

"Right now, all international competitions are amateur competitions, but I can see a time soon when overseas leagues are semi-professional and there are more events overseas," AFL international development manager Andrew Dillon said.

With that comes commercial opportunities overseas, through companies wanting to break into or increase their market share in Australia.

It is not dissimilar to domestic cricket teams signing up Indian sponsors who know their uniform sponsorship will be seen on television by an audience with an insatiable appetite for cricket.

Airline Etihad is one of the success stories of branding in football, with the Docklands Stadium, and as a result has become a household name in Australia after previously being virtually unknown.

There are broadcast opportunities, with expats wanting to watch the code while living in places like England and the US, and the game growing traction in the South Pacific.

There are other benefits to selling the game, as much as several commentators reckon it's a waste of time and money to try to break into established markets.

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan echoed the thoughts of Tony Woods, a former Fitzroy, Collingwood and Hawthorn player, who reckoned Canadian Mike Pyke was an illustration of the opportunities ahead.

"For me that really crystallised the vision of the wider footy public to see what can be done," Woods said.

The enthusiasm of overseas adventures by clubs is tempered by the costs involved.

Port Adelaide has spoken highly about its trip to Italy and England for an exhibition game against the Western Bulldogs last week, but also relied on the AFL for much of the funding.

The Crows' view is that one trip every three or four years is adequate, but could be of great benefit.

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My five-year plan for a Giants leap

GWS assistant coach Leon Cameron succeeds Kevin Sheedy as senior coach in 2014. Picture: Michael Klein. Source: Herald Sun

LEON Cameron may be a year away from succeeding Kevin Sheedy as head coach, but he has already outlined his plan to propel the Greater Western Sydney Giants into the AFL's top four within five years.

The Giants finished their inaugural season in top-flight footy in last place with just two wins.

But with a collection of the country's best young talent at their disposal after successive drafts weighted heavily in their favour, Cameron is bullish about his club's future.

"We've got an outstanding list of what could be 17 or 18 A-graders in two years," Cameron told The Daily Telegraph.

"I'm confident in four or five years' time we will be competing at the pointy end, which in my mind is the top four.

"There's pressure at any club in the AFL whether you are 18th, fifth or first. There is expectation everywhere. They're an exciting group."

Cameron will inherit one of the plum jobs in the AFL at the end of next season when he replaces Sheedy at the helm of the Giants.

It is a measure of how highly Cameron is is rated that he was awarded the post ahead of Mark Williams, who led Port Adelaide to a premiership and boasted an impressive 55 per cent win-loss ratio over his 12 seasons at the Power.

Cameron turned down the Port job to be part of the Giants' succession plan and to nurture some of the best young talent in the land.

The 40-year-old has an impressive football resume, but Giants chairman Tony Shepherd told The Daily Telegraph it was his character that won him the job at the Giants.

"When Leon made his presentation to us he didn't start talking about football - he told us what sort of a person he was and what he valued," Shepherd said.

"He spoke about teamwork and how everyone at the club was all in it together."

We've got a lot of talent but they're also a bunch of competitors

After 256 games as a player for the Western Bulldogs and Richmond, Cameron spent seven years working with Rodney Eade at the Western Bulldogs and the last two under Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn.

Cameron will serve as an assistant for another season under Kevin Sheedy before ascending to the top job.

That's when the pressure will come, given the expectation that after two full seasons and a couple of favourable drafts the Giants should be ready to climb off the bottom of the ladder.

"I don't shy away from the fact we've got an exciting group," Cameron said. "We've got a lot of talent but they're also a bunch of competitors.

"You wrap talent, excitement and competitiveness all in one then it allows the team to do well.

"The challenge is to mix that all into a strong culture - like the Sydney Swans."

The Swans are officially the competition benchmark after a stunning 2012 campaign, and Cameron is unapologetic about his intention to replicate Sydney's strong footy culture at his fledgling club.

"The talent they have is fantastic but the culture they have created is absolutely outstanding," Cameron said. "Everyone knows what their role is at that footy club.

"If we can take a bit of what Sydney have done then we're heading in the right direction."

A year under Sheedy will complete an impressive coaching apprenticeship for Cameron.

"He's been in the game for 40 years as a coach and player," Cameron said of Sheedy. "The next 12 months are a great opportunity to run my ideas past Kevin. That's the attractiveness of coming to the Giants.

"I'm influenced by everyone I've been coached by.

"Terry Wheeler was my first coach at the Western Bulldogs.

"He was very honest and had great empathy for his players.

"As a 17 year-old, that had a big influence.

"Terry Wallace had a lot of new ideas. He was the one who started warm ups on the ground before we played. He was also a great teacher.

"Allan Joyce showed me the Hawthorn way and Danny Frawley had genuine passion and cared for his group of players."

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