FIND out what’s being said about the club in the major daily newspapers on Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Herald Sun

Lyon wakes with Giant headache
By Mark Robinson

GARRY Lyon's mobile phone rang at 8am. He was in bed scanning the newspaper and the caller ID immediately had his attention. It was Tom Scully. Straight to the point, Lyon, in his laid-back style, asked how he was travelling, and Scully said he didn't really have good news. "I was disappointed because I like the kid, he's a beauty," Lyon said. "I've developed a real good relationship with him over the past month, and I really wish I had met him earlier. "It was a tough call for him to make. He sounded like he was doing something which wasn't that easy to do. "I had some empathy for him. It was a decision not made lightly, but once the decision is made, it is what it is. "It wouldn't matter if I did not respect him, or if I didn't care that much, but I do."

Scully’s the $6 million man
By Mike Sheahan

WHEN the fateful news was delivered, Melbourne decided the only positive course open to it was to give Tom Scully the benefit of the doubt and move on. Six hours later, acting president Don McLardy and chief executive Cameron Schwab both told the media they took Scully at face value, accepted he made his decision to join Greater Western Sydney at the weekend, and turned their attention to compensation and the club's future. Ailing president Jim Stynes reportedly was less accommodating of Scully's defection, while interim chief of football Garry Lyon would have been ropeable, but Melbourne's public stand was one of c'est la vie. In fact, Schwab took the view Melbourne had emerged from the shadow of a dark cloud. "This, in some way, has been like a black cloud, which has been over the club for much of the last 12 months."

Same message by Scully, different club
By Jon Ralph

ON March 5, Tom Scully declared his loyalty to Melbourne saying: "I love the club, I love my teammates and I want to be part of the future at the Melbourne football club." On Monday the message about his club's future hadn't changed. The problem was the club had. "I am glad to announce I am going to be up here playing in Sydney, in what is a very exciting future for this football club," Scully said. Then Greater Western Sydney chief executive Dale Holmes salted the wound for Demons supporters by talking of Scully's "dedication", "loyalty" and "honesty". The phone call Melbourne had dreaded came at 8am, with Scully informing caretaker coach Todd Viney and club legend Garry Lyon as well as several teammates of his decision.

Demons keep Morton, Martin
By Jon Ralph

MELBOURNE has stemmed the bleeding after the loss of Tom Scully, with Cale Morton and Stefan Martin re-signing with the club. The Demons will announce later this afternoon that the pair have committed despite interest from rivals. Morton has struggled at times to make an impact but was keen to fight his way out of a form slump, while Martin has had a breakout year in the ruck. The club will soon sign captain Brad Green, who was keen to stay at the club despite recent controversy about him being used as a sub.

Scully best-paid player in history: Dees
By AAP

GREATER Western Sydney recruit Tom Scully will be paid substantially more in the first year of his contract than any player in AFL history, his jilted club Melbourne believe. Demons chief executive Cameron Schwab said the 20-year-old, who has played just 31 AFL games, would be paid a big proportion of his massive six-year, $6 million deal in the first season. "We're talking about a player who was taken as a priority draft selection, who's obviously being paid an extraordinary amount of money," Schwab said. "Probably I'd say 30 or 40 per cent more than any other player's ever been paid in 2012." Asked if that estimate even took into account the huge deal offered by Gold Coast a year ago to lure Brownlow Medallist and dual premiership star, Gary Ablett, from Geelong, Schwab said it did. "In a one-year scenario, yes."

The Age

GWS needs to start soul-searching
By Caroline Wilson

THERE ARE so many things that seemed strange yesterday about Tom Scully's stage-managed decision to move to Greater Western Sydney. Quite apart from the fact that a 20-year-old veteran of 31 AFL games will next season be the highest paid player in football games and quite apart from the final charade of the timing. Scully, who was uploaded in a GWS uniform on YouTube on the eve of his announcement presenting a pledge to Giants members, helped salvage the situation by performing well and seemingly honestly. Pinpointing just when he chose to leave Melbourne seems like nit-picking now. According to Scully the verdict came over the past two weeks. Of course money - $6 million over six years with a reported $2 million next year - had played a part, he said, but it was more than that. Of course leaving Melbourne was tough, but this new club was where he wanted to be. To bring up what a distraction his season of indecision has proved for Melbourne seemed churlish. Scully is only 20 after all and he didn't make up the rules.

Lyon roars back at Giants over poaching
By Jared Lynch

THE hunter will soon become the hunted, with Garry Lyon warning that Melbourne plans to avenge Greater Western Sydney's poaching of Tom Scully. The Demons' acting football director said he was disappointed Scully had defected to GWS. ''I am a competitive person and you don't want to lose people from your club that you want to keep,'' Lyon said. But he doesn't plan to linger in sorrow, saying the Demons would ''aggressively'' move on, with the Giants firmly in their sights. ''We have got room in the salary cap and a couple of quality draft picks, and we will be casting a very close eye over GWS and their list,'' he said. ''They better make sure they have their players signed up and locked away.''

The Australian

Dees seek two picks for Scully
By Peter Kogoy

MELBOURNE will seek two first-round draft picks from the AFL as compensation for losing Tom Scully yesterday to a reported $6 million deal over six years with the GWS Giants.  The deal will make the 20-year-old former No 1 draft pick from Narre Warren one of the highest-paid players in the competition despite having played just 31 senior games. The Demons will put their case for two first-round priority picks, the maximum compensation allowed under the rules, to Adrian Anderson, the league's general manager of football operations. Demons chief executive Cameron Schwab claimed yesterday Scully would be paid 40 per cent more next year than Gary Ablett at Gold Coast. Ablett was lured away from Geelong on a multi-million-dollar five-year deal. "Scully will be on 30 to 40 per cent more money than any player paid in 2012," Schwab said. "I don't know what Gary Ablett's contract was, but I can tell you what Tom Scully's is. "We have got an unprecedented contract for a 20-year-old. "The first call after the call came from Tom was to the AFL and our deal is to make sure we receive a return on our initial investment."