One season after kicking an extraordinary 62 goals to earn All Australian selection as a 20-year-old, Cameron has stumbled through a far more difficult third season at the top level.

 

An ankle injury in the NAB Challenge affected his pre-season and he was naturally quiet to start the year before suffering a perforated eardrum that prevented him from flying.

 

Suspension and another ankle problem kept him out of more games and he made a low-key return against the Sydney Swans on Saturday night.

 

Lacking his usual explosiveness early on, Cameron did improve as the game played out, but still finished with just seven touches and two second-half goals.

 

"He's fine fitness-wise," GWS coach Leon Cameron said following the 46-point loss to the Swans.?

"Jeremy has had an injury-interrupted season. He gets going for a couple of weeks and misses and then gets going and then he misses again.

 

"That's probably happened the last five weeks, but the first six or seven weeks of the season he couldn't train much.

 

"He knows where he needs to get better at and we just hope the next eight weeks he can have a really good run of training and playing every week.

 

"I thought he got better as the game went on.

 

"We have to give credit where credit's due and Sydney's pressure was outstanding."

 

Another player hoping for a good back half of the season is young GWS midfielder Toby Greene, who made his comeback from a five-week club-imposed suspension for the reserves on Saturday.

 

Matched up with Swans youngster Tom Mitchell for large parts of the game, Greene finished with 40 touches and a goal.

 

Suspended for breaking team rules regarding alcohol and still to face a raft of assault allegations later in the year, Greene has at least been doing all he can to win back the trust of the club.

 

With the young GWS side showing some signs of wear and tear, changes could be made to face Adelaide next weekend, and it seems Greene could be firmly in the mix.

 

"It's a terrific effort to come back after five weeks," the GWS coach said.

 

"Our NEAFL side has been playing some really, really good footy.

 

"It's funny when you sit back five weeks ago and your club gets accused of players not developing.

 

"We sit equal top with Sydney in the NEAFL. I'd be concerned if that wasn't the case.

 

"We had a really good game against them today, Toby was good, Jono O'Rourke was really good, Lachie Plowman, there's a number of players putting pressure on our senior side.

"We feel our club is moving along leaps and bounds in the right direction."