Jeremy Cameron's Giant journey to the Grand Final

It's a warm spring evening in Blacktown, on Sydney's North-Western fringe in 2010. Kevin Sheedy is holding court in front of a group of curious youngsters leaning over the picket fence, as a group of fresh-faced talented kids -- mixed in with cross code superstar Israel Folau -- all clad in orange and charcoal, run through a series of simple drills. Amongst the teenage tyros thrown into the AFL spotlight, a 17-year-old Jeremy Cameron at the start of a journey that has brought him to this. Grand Final week.

Fast forward nearly nine years and the biggest media contingent the Giants have seen this side of the border had descended upon the Olympic precinct, and the Giants impressive HQ as the biggest week of this club's short history arrives. Cameron shares centre stage on this Monday afternoon with Toby Greene -- the game's pantomime villain -- and carries an air of confidence and focus.

Greene is the topic of initial conversation, and eternal fascination. What's it like to be the villain? Will you change your game? Do you think you'll be targeted? You're going to be booed by 90,000 this weekend? The midfielder handles them all with an impeccable straight bat, high elbow, the works. All the while Cameron remains impassive, focusing on a middle distance, before it's his turn to speak about the player to his right, teammate and former neighbour in the teenage digs in Breakfast Point.

"Toby....I don't think he's changed that much at all, he always plays on the edge, and he's always played with that attitude. He just wants to win, even when we were always getting beaten in the early days."

The early days. Cameron has been there since day dot. From the initial buzz and bemusement, the floggings and failures, through the growing years, to this point now. Grand Finalists. It's a journey a decade in the making.

"Getting to the club when I was 17 and looking forward, (this) seemed so far away. Coming from nothing, getting beaten by 100 points, to now being in the GF is a huge effort for the club. As a 17-18 year old you just want to cement your spot in the side, and then it quickly moves on to 'how we can get in a Grand Final' and that's always been the goal." says Cameron.

"In the early days we always made sure we got together after games, and we'd be beaten by 120 points, and all the families would be back at the pub, all the boys would be back there having beers together, because as players you want to win, but the coaches knew we probably weren't up to the standard yet. But how can we get these guys to bond together, to really love Sydney, and to embrace Sydney and (do that) and one day we'll become a powerhouse, and that time has well and truly come."

Cameron has more than played his part in the Giants getting to this point. 2019 is a career best year for the All Australian, wrapping up the Coleman Medal to go along with eight successive club titles. He's the spearhead for a side that display a confidence and inner belief in everything they do. A confidence that was stifled through the years of adversity, but has flourished as the tide turned.

"A lot of us guys have always had it (a bit of swagger) but it's hard to show it when you're being beaten by that much, but to win and be in finals the last 4 years has been huge. It's allowed us to come out of ourselves and play the way we want to play."

The way they want them to play had led them all the way to the big dance. The Tigers stand in their way on Saturday, and after a dramatic passage to the Grand Final, Cameron and the Giants know that a complete four quarter performance is a non-negotiable.

"We want to be playing our best footy this time of year, and we've been doing that. But in all 3 games there's been certain moments in those games when we've let ourselves down a bit, but we're always working to be better, and we're going to try and play our best footy this week."