AN ANKLE injury that has stopped him from training might be behind Jeremy Cameron's quieter run of form this season for Greater Western Sydney.
 
Cameron has kicked 18 goals in eight games so far in 2014, compared to his All Australian season last year when he booted 62 goals for the wooden-spooners.
 
He has also been used in defence at times, including early in the Giants' 113-point loss to Richmond at the weekend.
 
While a perforated eardrum stopped him from flying to Perth to play against West Coast in round eight, his coach Leon Cameron said the star youngster was battling an ongoing ankle complaint.
 
"He was really knocked around by that perforated eardrum that he had. He's a ball player, Jeremy, he really does crack in very hard," Cameron told Fox Footy.
 
"But secondly his ankle has been playing up for about three or four weeks and with that he just hasn't had the ability to train.
 
"Jeremy will be the first to admit on the weekend he was disappointed with his result after having a couple of weeks off, but also, to his own admission, young [Dylan] Grimes and [Alex] Rance played really, really good football on him as well."
 
The goalkicker was in doubt for round one against the Sydney Swans after injuring his ankle in the final pre-season match for the Giants, but played in his side's breakthrough win.
 
His coach said Cameron had started in defence against Richmond to fill a gap while the Giants were without key defenders Phil Davis (kidney) and Nick Haynes (ankle) for extended periods, but soon switched him to attack. 
 
"For starters it was for team structure. The last game he played (in round seven) he played the last 60 minutes against Port Adelaide down back on [Justin] Westhoff, and we were really rapt with the way he went," Cameron said.
 
"20 minutes into the game [against Richmond] things weren't going really, really well so we made a change and it obviously hasn't worked out and the coach has to take full responsibility for that."
 
Twitter: @AFL_CalTwomey