“Sheer nonsense”: Why King won’t cop dropping Cameron talk

David King won’t agree with anyone suggesting Jeremy Cameron should be dropped for Geelong’s Semi-Final against Fremantle in Perth.

At full fitness, there’s no doubt Cameron’s place in the team would be under no threat, but that’s clearly not the case at the moment.

Still battling with nerve issues in his right arm, which he broke in last year’s Grand Final, as well as shoulder issues this season, Cameron has been made to play wing and defence as he’s struggling to mark in an overhead or contested fashion.

Coming off just nine disposals in the Elimination Final win over Carlton, Kane Cornes isn’t sure whether Cameron should be picked if he can’t play forward.

But for King, he thinks that is “sheer nonsense”, with the Cameron magnet in his view causing headaches for an opposition coach wherever it’s placed.

King: “People say to me, leave him out of the team. Who in their right mind would say, Jeremy, you're just not 100 per cent, so we're just going to leave you out of a final?”

Cornes: “But it's a stretch to create a position for him, one that he's really never played. He's never really played wing. I know he's come up the ground, but that's as a forward.

“Justin Longmuir’s doing cartwheels right now if he knows that Cameron's playing half back and wing.”

King: “The conversation's not right. He can't contest a mark at the moment. The last nine times he's been targeted inside the forward 50, they've got nothing to show for it.

“So, he's not the guy you're talking about. He's not the 70 -plus goal kicker for the season. He's not that right now. He can't take contact on that arm. He can't even get into a contested marking situation.”

Cornes: “I’m playing him forward. But if he's playing the way that he played on the weekend… it was sad watching him play that way on the weekend.

“If he's not playing where he plays… I'm not playing him at half-back, kick chasing in the back half.”

King: “So, you're going to pick player number 27 instead of Jeremy Cameron? Is that what you're going to do?”

Cornes: “They’ve got some good players out. De Koning didn't play. I know he's not like for like, but they've been prepared to leave some good players out.”

King: “You're going to leave him out, is what you're telling me.”

Cornes: “I'm picking him as a forward. But if you can't function as a forward, you can't function. If you're not fit to play, you're not fit to play.”

King: “I'm not signing off on four kicks a week, but I think the threat of Cameron does change a few things regarding matchups.

“I just can't hear of people saying he's out of the team. That is just sheer nonsense.” 

Cameron spoke about his injury struggles and the role he’s playing on SEN’s Crunch Time.

READ: Why Cornes 'hated' Cameron's positional change