LEON Cameron has felt the mood at Greater Western Sydney change over the last year or so. 

 

When Cameron first arrived at the Giants, as an assistant to senior coach Kevin Sheedy at the end of 2012, the club was well and truly in its infancy.

 

Young players were probably afforded more games than they might have warranted otherwise. Responsibility was perhaps placed on their developing shoulders, instead of more sturdy, experienced ones, simply because of the circumstances.

 

But, with the club about to enter its fourth season and Cameron his second as head coach, there is a different sense to the Giants list. It is still the youngest in the competition, and there are still plenty of young players "who want to play tomorrow".

 

However, Cameron has found a change within his squad; no longer do they simply expected to be picked, they know they need to work their way into the Giants' line-up and to stay there.     

 

"I reckon it's evened out a little bit now to say 'Let's earn your spot, games are not going to be given away'. We have some more mature players in our side now, we've got our fourth-year players who are demanding they play every week because they want to play 120 minutes of footy instead of 80 minutes," Cameron told AFL.com.au.

 

"I think it's starting to even out and young kids are starting to accept that if they're going to play, they have to earn their spot.

 

"[But] there's no doubt there's been a big shift [in this era] and young kids are impatient, but that's good, they want to get there quick."

 

 

There are reasons to think the Giants, past their building phase, will be in a hurry to push up the ladder this season.

 

Natural maturity is one. They are another pre-season into their training program, they have added some senior experience, and have important players healthy.

 

They understand the game plan better, and how to move with and against the game's rhythms. Cameron realises more scrutiny will be placed on the Giants this year.

 

"Expectations rise in 2015, we all know that," he said.

 

"The pressure builds because, like any young club, you're climbing off the bottom of the ladder. We made some ground last year, and six wins was a pretty good return, but we're looking to build on that."

 

Last year the Giants conceded the most inside-50s of any side in the competition. But they did cut down their average points against by more than five goals (from 136 points in 2013 to 105 points in 2014), and Cameron thinks his group have a better grasp on team defence.

 

The addition of Brisbane Lions backman Joel Patfull will help.

 

The 30-year-old is the oldest player on the club's list and a dual best and fairest winner, and combined with the inclusion of former Western Bulldogs captain Ryan Griffen, will provide an immediate shot of experience.

 

 

 

"There's no doubt with [Griffen's] 10 years of experience players are going to ask [questions]. Is he going to be the stand up person and deliver speeches or powerful messages? I think he's more that actions-speak-louder-than-words [type of leader]," Cameron said.

 

"In saying that, he has been quite vocal. I see the energy that Ryan has in his body, his mind and his footy training right now and we really look forward to putting that all out to play in 2015."

 

Of course, to get Griffen (and pick six) from the Bulldogs cost the Giants their most recent No.1 draft pick, power forward Tom Boyd.

 

"He played nine games and he probably felt his football wasn't doing the talking," said Cameron. 

 

"But there was no doubt he was homesick as well and he was struggling with that."

 

It has left Cameron spending some of his summer working out the machinations of his forward structure for 2015. The previous aim was to combine Boyd, Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron as three young, imposing key forwards.

 

But with Boyd gone and Patton likely to be unavailable until at least the middle of the season as he recovers from his second knee reconstruction, the coach will need others to step in.

 

He expects younger options James Stewart and Cam McCarthy to be marking targets, and believes Adam Tomlinson, in his fourth season, is ready to be a consistent attacking option.

 

"Like anything we're going to tinker a few things though the NAB [Challenge], but we're confident those are the sorts of players who can hold down those key positions," he said.

 

A fit Cameron will make a difference, too. After making the All Australian team in his second season in 2013, when he booted 62 goals, he managed just 29 goals from 14 games last year.

 

He suffered an ankle injury in the final pre-season game, came in underdone, required surgery to his eardrum, and then hurt his other ankle in a year when he rarely got going. His coach forecasts a more productive season. 

 

"He's had a really, really proactive pre-season, his body's feeling good, and we're looking forward to 2015 with him," he said.