The Club would like to acknowledge the service Scott has given the Bulldogs over the past nine years.

In the first draft Scott Clayton attended as the Bulldogs recruiting manager in 1999, he acquired several players who now make up the core of the Bulldogs team – Robert Murphy, Daniel Giansiracusa, Mitch Hahn, Ryan Hargrave and Lindsay Gilbee.

Western Bulldogs General Manager of Football, James Fantasia said while it was disappointing to lose Clayton, the opportunity for him was too good to pass up.

“Scott has been a valuable staff member at the Bulldogs and we would like to thank him for his dedication and passion for the Club over the past nine years. He will continue to see out the year with us overseeing our 2008 Draft selections, starting with GC17 in 2009,” he said.

“We will now use Scott’s departure to evolve our recruiting process and structure. This will see the commencement of a new chapter in our recruiting strategy for the Club, said Fantasia.

Scott Clayton said the decision to move on to GC17 was not taken lightly.

“A role like this is extremely rare in football so it will be exciting for me. I have been extremely fortunate to work at the Western Bulldogs for a long period of time where I have seen the club go from strength to strength with an exciting and innovative brand of football and a real team environment,” he said.

“I know that the team we have set up will have a very successful five year period and no one wants to see them succeed more than me. I would like to personally thank Cam (Rose), David (Smorgon), Rodney (Eade) and his coaching team for their support over the past few years.”

“This Club has evolved phenomenally in the past five years due to the strength of leadership, competency and management and I would like to believe that I’ve contributed something to that, particularly in the recent off and on-field success our Club has been experiencing,” said Clayton.

Western Bulldogs Chief Executive Campbell Rose said the Club wished Scott well in his future appointment.

“Scott will have the chance to create a team from scratch which is something that any recruitment manager would love to have the opportunity to do. We are fortunate that we have a football manager such as James Fantasia who has a credentialed recruiting background and comes from a Club with a strong recruiting record,” Rose said.

“He has extensive experience in football recruiting. This is a great asset. James will now use his insight to take our recruiting football operations and performance to a new level.”

“We wish Scott the very best. We are confident that he will do a fine job as he has done in previous years in overseeing the ’08 draft selections. I would personally and professionally like to thank Scott for his support during my six years of tenure at the Bulldogs,” Rose said.