Former Wests Tigers recruitment manager Scott Fulton has lifted the lid on which players he brought to the club and taken aim at critics.
Slamming rumours that he is to blame for the Wests Tigers roster problems, Fulton revealed that the decision to sign players fell to him, coach Benji Marshall, ex-CEO Justin Pascoe, and Danny Stapleton rather than just himself.
Speaking toย The Daily Telegraph, Fulton confirmed that he did not sign one player who was not wanted by Benji Marshall and helped bring in Jayden Sullivan, Latu Fainu and Samuela Fainu.
However, he insisted that Marshall recruited Solomon Alaimalo, Justin Olam and Aidan Sezer on his own without Fulton's knowledge.
As well as handing contract extensions to mainstay first-graders Charlie Staines, Alex Twal and Alex Seyfarth.
โI did not sign one player that (Benji) Marshall didn't agree to. I'll tell you exactly how it worked,โ Fulton said.
โWe had four people on a recruitment and retention committee. Danny Stapleton was chair, there was me, Benji and Pascoe.
โNot once did we try to overrule Marshall. He met with Bud Sullivan, chatted to him on the phone. The same with the Fainu brothers โ Marshall wanted both of them.โ
โHe brought Soloman Alaimalo over from New Zealand and didn't even tell me,โ he added.
โHe did the Justin Olam and Aiden Sezer deals. He extended Charlie Staines, Alex Twal and Alex Seyfarth on his own.
โThat's the way he wanted to handle things.โ
Fulton also confirmed that he raised Josh Schuster's name as a potential target to sign - before he inked a contract extension with Manly and was subsequently terminated - despite his inconsistencies in the NRL.
At the time, Schuster re-signed with the Sea Eagles on a lucrative offer but would later find himself dropped to the NSW Cup and later terminated six months into a four-year contract.
โMarshall wasn't interested so I dropped off,โ Fulton continued.
โWe could have got him for a lot cheaper than he was on at Manly, but once Marshall said no, that was it.โ
A famed recruitment manager before his time at the Wests Tigers and the son of Immortal Bob Fulton, Scott admitted that the recent news surrounding members of the club's roster has taken a toll on him finding another job in the NRL competition.
โTo suggest that I left the club in a bad way is wrong,โ he said.
โHow is it my fault that Lachlan Galvin and Stefano Utoikamanu want out.
โI did the job to the best of my ability while I was there but at the end of the day the final decisions on signing players were not mine.โ
