What’s The Buzz: Scott Fulton argues he was not responsible for Wests Tigers recruitment blunders

Former Wests Tigers recruitment manager Scott Fulton has hit back at critics of his work and suggestions that he is to blame for the club’s roster mess.

Scott Fulton for Sunday Buzz

Rugby league recruitment guru Scott Fulton has slammed suggestions he is responsible for the playing roster mess at Wests Tigers.

“I did not sign one player that (Benji) Marshall didn’t agree to,” Fulton said, hitting back at NRL 360 host Braith Anasta and other critics of his work as Wests Tigers recruitment manager.

Fulton was sacked as the club’s head of recruitment when Shane Richardson replaced Justin Pascoe as chief executive.

Fulton has since been blamed for paying too much money for the likes of half Jayden Sullivan and the Fainu brothers, Samuela and Sione.

“I’ll tell you exactly how it worked,” Fulton said.

“We had four people on a recruitment and retention committee. Danny Stapleton was chair, there was me, Benji and Pascoe.

“Not once did we try to overrule Marshall. He met with Bud Sullivan, chatted to him on the phone.

“The same with the Fainu brothers — Marshall wanted both of them.”

former Wests Tigers recruitment manager Scott Fulton.

Fulton admits he raised Josh Schuster’s name as a potential recruit, despite his struggles at Manly.

“Marshall wasn’t interested so I dropped off,” Fulton said.

“We could have got him for a lot cheaper than he was on at Manly, but once Marshall said no, that was it.”

Fulton said the Tigers coach would often go off and sign players on his own.

“He brought Soloman Alaimalo over from New Zealand and didn’t even tell me,” Fulton said.

“He did the Justin Olam and Aiden Sezer deals.

“He extended Charlie Staines, Alex Twal and Alex Seyfarth on his own.

“That’s the way he wanted to handle things.”

Fulton says the recent publicity around the Wests Tigers recruitment is damaging to his prospects of getting another job.

“To suggest that I left the club in a bad way is wrong,” he said. “How is it my fault that Lachlan Galvin and Stefano Utoikamanu want out.

“I 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.”