Sheedy fans flames over Scully - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Sheedy fans flames over Scully

By Robert Grant and Sam Lienert 09/02/2011 05:52:13 PM Comments (0)

Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy has fanned the flames of speculation that Melbourne could lose young star Tom Scully to the AFL expansion club.

While Melbourne coach Dean Bailey tried to hose down the talk, Sheedy said he would love to have the 2009 No.1 national draft pick on board for GWS's inaugural season next year.

"We'd like to get quite a number of players like Tom Scully in a Giants jumper," Sheedy said.

"We'd like to get any top-class players coming through who may want to leave their club and get an opportunity up here to build a club.

"So, Tom Scully, of course you would want a Tom Scully.

"But we really would like a top class centre half-back, a top-class centre half-forward and a top-class ruckman and a superstar goalkicker like other clubs will be wanting.

"We've got to go after seven or eight players to make sure we are not left behind in the talent race in regards to building a great club."

Sheedy denied it would be unethical to lure away players other clubs attained through draft picks designed to allow them to rebuild from poor seasons.

He said Essendon was relentlessly plundered through his long tenure as Bombers coach.

"We signed (Carlton legend) Craig Bradley at 16-and-a-half - that's the youngest you can get - and he never even played one game for us," he told Radio SEN.

"Players have been leaving clubs for years."

Scully's manager Mark Kleiman said speculation that the 19-year-old midfielder had already signed with GWS during their contract window this pre-season was incorrect.

But he confirmed that the teenager had informed the Demons he would not be entering negotiations until the end of this season, when his current contract expires.

Fellow Demons star youngster Jack Trengove, taken at No.2 behind Scully in the 2009 draft, has already signed for next year, but Kleiman said while Scully was committed to Melbourne, he wanted to assess the football landscape.

"To ensure there are no distractions and that Tom can direct all his energies to the 2011 season, we recommended to him last August that we put contract talks on hold until the end of this season and advised the club accordingly," Kleiman said.

The saga mirrors that which surrounded Richmond's young stars Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin last year, with both also considered targets for GWS or Gold Coast before they signed new deals.

Bailey was adamant the Scully speculation would not affect the Demons this year.

"As far as Tom's contract is concerned, the club will deal with that but we're certainly not going to speculate or add any fuel to the fire," Bailey said on Wednesday.

"It's just speculation. It's unfounded until I'm told otherwise ... it's not going to distract us from what we're about."

But he said it would be disappointing if Scully left, given the work Melbourne had put into his development.

"I'm sure Greater Western Sydney have a whole host of names (they are chasing) so in the next week or the next two weeks there will be another player's name mentioned and it will continue," Bailey said.

Brought to you by AAP AAP © 2024 AAP

0 Comments about this article

Post a comment about this article

Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.

« All sports news