Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans poaches GWS list manager Craig Cameron

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This was published 6 years ago

Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans poaches GWS list manager Craig Cameron

By Michael Gleeson
Updated

Gold Coast Suns chief Mark Evans has poached respected list manager Craig Cameron from Greater Western Sydney angering the Giants.

Cameron told Giants football boss Wayne Campbell on Sunday that he had accepted an attractive offer to join the Suns. They agreed Cameron would cease work with GWS immediately. He will also not commence with the Suns until after the draft.

Giants recruiting manager Adrian Caruso would always have been the one to decide who the club selects at the draft. Cameron would have had input into the decision-making on players and player types had he not left, but that role will now fall to others.

The Giants were upset by his decision to leave and queried the timing of the decision. But equally it would have been questionable had Cameron waited until after the draft to reveal he had already accepted a job elsewhere.

Craig Cameron has left the Giants.

Craig Cameron has left the Giants.Credit: Penny Stephens

Cameron has had a good relationship with Evans for more than 20 years, having worked closely with him for a long period at Melbourne when Neale Daniher was coaching the Demons and Evans was football manager.

Cameron has been at the Giants for about 18 months and was previously Richmond's football manager before a short and difficult period in the racing industry.

"The Giants have cut ties with list manager Craig Cameron and have immediately commenced a process to find a replacement for one of the most exciting list management roles in the AFL," a statement from GWS read.

"Cameron has indicated he wants to join the Gold Coast Suns to take up a similar role."

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Gold Coast Suns list manager Scott Clayton, a long term and respected recruiter and list manager, will remain at the Queensland club at least until the draft but he is expected to leave for a similar role elsewhere and is understood to have had approaches from several clubs with whom he is now in talks.

The Suns are yet to appoint a new football manager after Marcus Ashcroft left the club following the trade period. It is likely the club will slightly restructure the football roles.

The moves will mean the Suns have overturned every senior position at the club in the space of little more than 12 months.

They have changed the coach (Stewart Dew has taken over from Rodney Eade), the chief executive (former AFL football operations boss Evans replaced Andrew Travis, who left in February), the football manager (Ashcroft is yet to be formally replaced) and now Cameron will come in as the new list manager.

His first and most important task will be to try to re-sign key forward Tom Lynch who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2018 season when he comes out of contract. Lynch will be the most highly sought-after free agent on the market next year.

"We are in the midst of discussing structures and roles in the football department for 2018 however this hasn't reached completion," a Suns spokesman said.

"We can confirm that Scott Clayton will lead the club through the draft period later this month."

Changes have already occurred at other clubs in list and football management roles with Collingwood appointing former player agent Ned Guy as its new list manager and Geelong replacing football manager Steve Hocking, who has moved to become the AFL's football manager, with Simon Lloyd.

The Western Bulldogs are yet to re-sign list manager Jason McCartney to a new contract. His current contract expires later this year.

New Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains is still finishing up at St Kilda where he has been chief operating officer but also ran their list management.

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