Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy has accused Melbourne of being behind reports star recruit Tom Scully has serious concerns over the health of his knees.
In a revealing radio interview, Sheedy backed 20-year-old Scully to overcome the drama that's circulated around him over the past few weeks since revelations emerged the Giants had employed his father Phil as a possible sweetener, encouraging him to defect from Melbourne.
In a major blow for the fledgling 18th club, the AFL has ordered the Giants to include all of Scully senior's wages within their salary cap for next season.
Sheedy was somewhat cautious, however, when saying he didn't agree with this punishment, but when asked about reports Scully had serious issues with his knees after an injury-interrupted 2011, he fired a shot back at the Melbourne Football Club.
"I think there's a lot of people possibly from ... that may have frustrated in (him) leaving Melbourne, that might be sending out those overtures," Sheedy told Melbourne radio station SEN.
"So we'll find out and we'll see and hopefully he'll be a fantastic player for our club."
"I think he's a pretty resilient sort of young guy."
"Every time I've actually looked at him and focused on him and seen how he handles himself, he's done very, very well."
"It's not to say that you can't have people, family members coming in football clubs, it's been going on for a hundred years."
Although the Giants have raided several clubs for players, bringing in Scully, Callan Ward (Western Bulldogs), Phil Davis (Adelaide) and Rhys Palmer (Fremantle) - with former Carlton forward Setanta O'hAilpin now in their sights - they have also recruited several experienced campaigners who had previously retired in Luke Power, Dean Brogan, Chad Cornes and Scully's former captain at Melbourne, James McDonald.
Sheedy, though, said he probably won't be turning to these older players to be the club's inaugural captain, the coach saying it would probably go to a younger team-member.
And, if the Giants follow Gold Coast's lead and appoint their highest-profile recruit as skipper, then Scully could be the man for the job.
"I would imagine we'd run with a younger sort of captain," said Sheedy.
"The senior players that we've got to the club are there to be guiding them as assistant coaches on the field."
"They'll be there to help these younger leaders that we'll bring through (and) we may have a dual captaincy, I don't have a problem with that."
"There's only two clubs really that have been built like this in the last decade and one was only a year ago."
"So we've got to be very flexible in our thinking right across the landscape at this club and make sure that we are encouraging people and leaders and players."