Leon Cameron tells how GWS landed former disgruntled Bulldogs skipper Ryan Griffen

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IT started with a throwaway line.


The biggest defection since Geelong captain Leigh Colbert stormed out of Kardinia Park began with a simple question.


As close friend and confidant Leon Cameron counselled Ryan Griffen late in the year, he found it impossible not to at least inquire.


Why don’t you come and play here?


That question was at first quickly shut down by the Western Bulldogs captain, but the seed for the trade that rocked football was planted.


Within days the Dogs had pulled off the most startling trade of this footy century, turning Griffen into a Giant and Tom Boyd into the richest kid in the land.


Yet according Cameron, as he charts the backstory to that remarkable trade for the first time, it was also a deal that would save Griffen’s football career.


“Ryan was struggling a bit with life,’’ Cameron said.


“He had a tough time watching his dad go through hell and eventually passing away and I reckon that played on his mind and he is really close to his mum and family and it felt like it was all building up and there was no way out.


“I was lucky enough to coach him for five years at the Dogs and you do keep in contact.


“With Ryan I sensed there were some real issues. I spoke to him about six weeks before the season finished and I just said, ‘How are you doing’.


“You could see the energy wasn’t there in his voice, and it wasn’t about the Dogs, I sensed it was more about footy than the Dogs.


“You (ask about him moving) in a joking way and Griff would stamp it out straight away. You would joke about it and Griff would say, ‘No, I have got a duty. I am captain of the club, I love the club and I am going to fight through this’.


“After that conversation I thought, ‘No, he’s going to stick that out, he’s going to be there for good’.”


GWS Giants recruit Ryan Griffen is settling into life in Sydney, with new coach Leon Came
GWS Giants recruit Ryan Griffen is settling into life in Sydney, with new coach Leon Cameron and captain and good mate Callan Ward. Picture: Phil Hillyard
Yet as Cameron was gently nudging his fellow Bulldogs life member, things were imploding down south at the Western Bulldogs.
A disastrous end to the season precipitated a round of exit interviews that saw Griffen confronting Peter Gordon about his coach Brendan McCartney’s conduct.


Still, Griffen left for a trip to Europe with both the Dogs and Leon Cameron assuming he was staying put.


“He went away for a couple of weeks and came back and said, “If I don’t make a change maybe I won’t play footy again’,’’ Cameron said.


“Yes, people will build it up as the coach but I reckon that was a small part of it. I think he desperately needed a change.


“When I actually heard what he had done, I nearly drove off the road. I was in Sydney driving back from the airport and they rang and said Griff had nominated our footy club. I thought, ‘geez that has come from left field’.


“But he clearly thought this is big enough for me that I have to make a decision in my life if I want to punch out four or five years, or I will retire.”


A day later the Dogs would sack Brendan McCartney.
Then as GWS waited for the Bulldogs to start real negotiations, another bombshell came.


First-round pick Boyd wanted out in exchange for Griffen, just months after fellow young key forward Jon Patton’s 2015 was ruined by an ACL injury.


“We sat down and thought, that’s fine he wants to come to us. How the hell do we get it done. Then there was Tom’s left-field decision and the fun started,’’ Cameron said.


“As a club we stated that we didn’t want to move Tom, but as the week panned out and you start to negotiate you take everything into consideration.


“Young Tom clearly wants to go home. Can he fight through (homesickness)? What does our playing group feel? What is the deal in front in front of us?”


And the clincher for GWS — had he already agreed mid-season to go home the following year?


“I don’t know the full history of what happened throughout the year. Only the people close to Tom know that,’’ Cameron said.


“But when you look at pick 6 coming back your way and Ryan Griffen as an A-Grader who wants to your footy club it was, ‘Yep, let’s make this decision for our footy club’.


“I was proud of the club. It looked like there was a clear no but we were open to say we changed our minds because of what happened.
“People are going to say does it mean you are going to keep changing your mind? No, it doesn’t.


“If something presents that good you have to look at it.”


Griffen is already out on the training track, bursting with energy after the trials of the off-season.


He is staying with his great mate Callan Ward, being coached by a mate he respects and ready to play without the burden of formal leadership designation.


“Yesterday we had a really tough session and you can tell when a player is energised or just grinding though,’’ Cameron said.


“There is lots of energy. There is a weight off his shoulders.

I guess Griffen wanted to play for Leon & not Macca. Interesting to ponder how the sliding doors would've been different if we chose Leon and GWS took Macca? Or not. As you will.

What a load of horse manure (not your comments BT - the article's premise).

Cameron was in his ear the whole time, and Griffen - who shouldn't have been given the captaincy (Bmac's fault) - couldn't handle the pressure of standing up to his mates or leading the club to turn the rubbish playing culture around.

This story isn't about a coach who couldn't communicate for less than 15% of the time he was at the helm, it is about a bunch of players who finally got their bullshit called on them after dining out on some preliminary final appearances that ultimately failed.

Griffen left because the order at the club was changing, and his friends didn't like it and wanted him to stop it when he couldn't.

"Nearly drove off the road". Is Cameron really expecting us to believe he had no idea former #16 was nominating GWS? This article is littered with tripe, like former #16 saying "no I've got a duty, I'm captain of the club".

No hard feelings to Leon but this is propaganda 101, making up a series of conversations and events to cast former #16 and himself as paragon's of virtue.

I've already moved on from trade week. I won't forget what a sensational player Griff was for us but the future is one without him as a Bulldog. Instead we have the most exciting power forward in the country under 20yo.

No, I've got a duty as a husband, I can't sleep with you. No, please get dressed. No, don't do that....

Thanks for posting, given me a great Monday morning laugh.

What a load of frog shit, how dumb does he think we are.

Western Bulldogs vs. GWS GIANTS (ES) (T)

(If his back is fine)

What a crock of shit.

People are supposed to believe the first thing GWS knew about Griffin (yes, deliberately spelt incorrectly) deciding to come to them was him publicly announcing it? Yet they had no problem accommodating the $1.5 million salary they are paying him, which makes him now close to the highest paid player in the AFL.

I don't buy it....and stopped reading immediately at "I nearly drove off the road".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Greystache

What a crock of shit.

People are supposed to believe the first thing GWS knew about Griffin (yes, deliberately spelt incorrectly) deciding to come to them was him publicly announcing it? Yet they had no problem accommodating the $1.5 million salary they are paying him, which makes him now close to the highest paid player in the AFL.

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+1

Really like the deliberate misspelling of Griffin too. That should become ubiquitous around here.

Just can't get over the incredible coincidence of Griffin nominating Them.
Just wow! Next Leon explains the earth is actually round.

Yep been spelling it Griffin for weeks now, doesn't deserve any more.

Griffin has gotten out of this situation so *!*!*!*!ing easily it amazes me, any other club captain and they would have copped huge heat from the media for abandoning their club.

She might have gotten off lightly from the media but please doggies fans, do not let her off easy when she comes to play us in Melbournes, lets give her absolute hell. Please.

I was expecting to read line like "Oh poor Griff" after I read this and felt more infuriated. Thank you fellow Woofers for writing down exactly how I feel.

Good riddance Griffin!

Nobody says they leave for the money, but at least Boyd has the decency not to make up a tonne of bullshit about it instead.