FORMER Hawthorn assistant coach Leon Cameron will succeed Kevin Sheedy as coach of Greater Western Sydney.
Cameron was announced as Sheedy's successor on Thursday. He will be the Giants' senior assistant in 2013 before taking the reins in 2014.
"I am absolutely rapt, excited to be here," Cameron said when introduced as the Giants' next coach.
"What better way can you start out your coaching career [than learning under Kevin Sheedy]?
"I'm going to be living off every moment, every piece of advice he gives me in the next 12 months and beyond."
The 40-year-old played 256 games for Footscray and Richmond before acting as an assistant at the Bulldogs from 2004-10 and the Hawks from 2011-12.
Cameron served under Rodney Eade at the Bulldogs for seven years before making a move to the Alastair Clarkson-coached Hawks.
It was invaluable experience according to the man he will be taking over from.
"The experience he gained [as an assistant at the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn] will be advantageous to our players and their development and how quickly we make this team and this club a great team in the AFL and in Sydney," Sheedy said.
"We get the best talent to come into our club, whether it is players, coaches or administrators."
Giants chief executive Dave Matthews credited Cameron as being the right fit for the fledgling team.
"He is a person of outstanding character, great values and we do hire for talent and character at the Giants," Matthews said.
"We have a great assistant coach in 2013 and a great senior coach in 2014, we are sure, with Kevin applying some finishing touches."
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