All Australian forward Jeremy Cameron has given the strongest indication yet he will remain at Greater Western Sydney, saying a new deal could be struck as early as this year.
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But Heath Shaw will not play for at least another three weeks after it was revealed he suffered bleeding to the brain following his sickening clash with Kurt Tippett a fortnight ago.
Cameron and his management are in talks with the Giants over extending his contract beyond next season.
Asked how far away he was from making a decision on his future, Cameron said: "I'm sure it'll be some time soon. I'm discussing that with the club and my manager and it'll be done some time soon.
"I'm not too sure, but some time this year."
It would be a massive fillip for the Giants if they lock up Cameron as they have a host of young stars coming out of contract at the end of next year.
Jonathon Patton, Tom Boyd, Dylan Shiel, Stephen Coniglio, Adam Treloar, Devon Smith and Adam Tomlinson are all likely to attract plenty of interest from rival clubs.
Cameron said he was keen on remaining with the club, which secured him in 2011 as part of a rule allowing the start-up entity access to the best 17-year-olds in the country.
"Starting as a new club, it's something no one's really experienced. It's that bond you build, you want to keep going and become stronger and stronger," Cameron said.
"I'm loving my time up here and I want to stay."
Cameron has hit the first form slump of his career in his third season, but coach Leon Cameron said he had not contemplated dropping the forward.
"His second year was quite extraordinary. For a second-year player to be an All Australian full-forward and kick that many goals is extraordinary," the coach said.
"To back that up in your third year, he'd probably win the Brownlow Medal."
The coach said the Giants were kicking the ball less to Cameron this year due to the development of fellow forward Patton.
"That's something Jeremy has to deal with but when I look at the vision behind the goals, and I know he's working really hard, then I know he'll be playing week in, week out," the coach said.
Shaw, who has resumed running, saw specialists in Melbourne and Sydney and will not play until round 19 at the earliest.
"Initially, when Heath got the knock in the Sydney game, there was a very minor bleed to the brain," the coach said.
"The common theme and message coming out from those guys [the specialists] is hopefully he'll be right after the bye, but the welfare of the player comes first.
"It was a big hit, we've all seen it and we've got to make sure we deal with it the right way."
