TOM Scully's decision to leave Melbourne for a six-year deal with Greater Western Sydney has been like a 'black cloud' lifting from the club, Demons CEO Cameron Schwab says.

Speaking just hours after Scully officially became a Giant, Schwab said the constant speculation over the midfielder's future had been a distraction all year.

"This in some ways has been like a black cloud which has been over the club for much of the last 12 months," Schwab said on Monday.

"The black cloud now moves on to another club.

"They have still got priority selections to play out over time and it will be someone else's issue from this point onwards."

Melbourne vice-president Don McLardy said Scully had been nothing but completely truthful in his dealings with the club all season.

"We've spoken to Tom regularly throughout the year. We were confident he was being honest with us," McLardy said.

"His discussions were open and we felt that was the best course of action to believe in Tom until he made his decision."

The recruiting rules established for the AFL's two newest teams, Gold Coast and GWS, were approved by the initial 16 clubs, but Schwab said they were being used differently to what the clubs believed.

"I think the system has been used in a way that it wasn't intended to be used. The system was put in place to allow a club to fill out its list with big strong bodies because they were going to have a group of kids playing for them," he said.

Schwab said he was confident the Demons would receive maximum compensation for Scully's departure, which is believed to be two first-round draft picks.

He also suggested that Scully was being paid more in his first year with the Giants than Gary Ablett was at Gold Coast next season.

"The rules were put in for two types of players. The first one was what was considered the franchise player - the Gary Ablett scenario or what would happen if a club lost an elite young player," he said.

"We're talking about a player who was taken as a priority draft selection, who has been paid an extraordinary amount of money. Probably I'd say 30-40 per cent more than any player is being paid in 2012."

While conceding Melbourne could never compete with the Giants on the money being offered to Scully, Schwab said he remained confident it could keep the player until last weekend.

"It was when we realised the offer had gone out to a sixth year and the amount of money which was brought into the sixth year, we got a bit shaky at that point," Schwas said.

Luke Holmesby covers Melbourne news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_LHolmesby