If he can get healthy wow!
FORMER No.1 draft pick
Tom Scully is officially a Hawk – and for the bargain-basement price of a 2019 fourth-round selection.
Complications around Scully's recovery from a broken right ankle, on top of Greater Western Sydney's salary cap woes, meant arriving at an appropriate value was difficult.
The 27-year-old midfielder is widely considered the AFL's best two-way runner, but whether he can return to that status remains a mystery.
Hawthorn football boss Graham Wright is backing the club's renowned medical team to resurrect Scully's career.
"We're thrilled to have negotiated a trade with GWS to bring Tom to Waverley," Wright said.
"He's an exceptional player and his endurance and work rate is second-to-none. Tom will help to boost our midfield stocks; offering the depth and versatility we were looking to add.
"We understand Tom has been suffering with an ankle injury, however we are fully confident our medical team will help get him back to full fitness."
Scully hurt his ankle in round two and failed in his attempted return late in the season before undergoing more surgery to remove screws and a plate about two months ago.
"Basically, from there he's got to be loaded up again, and that will happen over a period of time over the summer," Wright told NAB AFL Trade Radio.
"He's walking unencumbered at the moment and he's another five or six weeks away from starting to jog, which will coincide with us being back at training.
"It was a significant ankle injury and it comes with a bit of a risk."
Scully played 121 matches for GWS and was twice shortlisted for All Australian selection after leaving Melbourne at the end of 2011 to accept a $6 million, six-year deal.
He has signed a three-year contract at Hawthorn with a trigger built in for a fourth season.
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In further news, the Hawks
traded dual premiership defender Taylor Duryea to the Western Bulldogs on Tuesday, but out-of-contract forward Ryan Schoenmakers and veteran Brendan Whitecross remain in limbo.
