Deal Maker: The Secret World of AFL Recruiting and Trading

by Peter Ryan, Scott Clayton

Scott Clayton has been in the AFL industry for 40 years and has been a recruiting manager for over 30 years. Deal Makertakes us behind the scenes to look at some of the AFL’s biggest trades and what it takes to find the right players. The trade period and draft are the biggest recruitment events on the calendar for AFL clubs to refresh and invigorate their lists with hot players from other clubs and young emerging stars. Scott has been in charge of setting up the Gold Coast Suns and was the person who recruited Gary Ablett from Geelong to the Suns in a major coup. Journalist, Peter Ryan, brings to life the behind-the-scenes machinations that affect every club.

Genres: Nonfiction

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

A sports book, Deal Maker (2026) by Scott Clayton is the personal account of a well-known AFL football manager and recruiter. Scott played professional football for Fitzroy from 1981–1990, before going on to become one of the preeminent recruitment managers at the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions, Western Bulldogs and the Gold Coast Suns. Deal Maker gives the reader a first-hand look behind the scenes of this ultimately competitive AFL world of drafting, trading and list management. A most readable, insightful analysis of significant historical work at several start-up clubs, involving many of the big-name stars at the time, trades and draft picks. Probably a niche read for AFL fans, this is an insightful and enjoyable four and a half star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.

[Swathi · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Informative and engaging, The Dealmaker offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of AFL list management including the recruiting and talent identification processes. Perfect timing too with the trade and free agency periods happening and the draft around the corner.

I spotted one standout typo in my copy, with 2012 listed where they clearly meant 2013. Otherwise it was an absorbing read that gave me plenty of insight. The touching handwritten endorsement from the late Robert Walls was another highlight. Overall, I highly recommended this book as an offseason read for fellow footy fanatics.

[Matt Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and illuminating expose on an underreported part of football dealings, slightly let down by a laissez-faire editing process that contained some fairly obvious factual errors (Brian Lake didn’t win his Norm Smith Medal in 2012) and a painful lack of commas that often meant sentences needed to be read twice or three times to ascertain their intended meaning.

I am a big fan of Peter Ryan as a journo (and Geoff Slattery as an editor) but a final proof would have benefited the overall product. From a narrative point of view, it is well put together, following Clayton’s career from season to season. The sections where he discusses the list builds of the Brisbane Bears and Gold Coast Suns respectively are most interesting. He really had his fingerprints on that 2001-02-03 Lions three-peat team.

This book is also a good reminder that the Brisbane–Fitzroy “merger” was that in name only. When the club name, venue, staff and 80% of the list remain from the previous season, it is more of a takeover than a merger.

This was a fun and enjoyable read while on holidays and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the back-room machinations of list management in the AFL, regardless of who you support – I am a Collingwood man and yet I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the rise of Brisbane and the Bulldogs (less so the Suns).

The sample interview questions given to potential draftees that are listed in the appendices are required reading for anyone in football, from the local level up.

Enjoy!

[Brendan Fisher · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

An amazing insight into the inner workings of AFL recruiting and culture. Scott's story is so intertwined with some of the most important moments in modern AFL history, from the Fitzroy-Brisbane merger, the 3-peat, the Bulldogs drought-break, the establishment of the Suns, and now the entry of the Devils. As a close family friend, it was a great way to learn even more about Scott's life. A truly special honour that my Dad's name was the last mentioned in the acknowledgements and their childhood street of Karoola Rd was named on the final page. Dad would have absolutely loved to read this. My aunt has often joked that my Grandma would be rolling in her grave that the man who never took a pen to school ended up writing a book!

[Jont · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deal Makers: The Secret World of AFL Recruiters is a fairly simple and easy read, offering an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how AFL clubs identify, assess and recruit players. There are some good stories about how particular players ended up at their clubs, which provide a glimpse into the often unpredictable world of recruiting.

That said, there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here. It’s more an enjoyable collection of recruiting stories than a deep dive into the strategy or science behind AFL list management. Worth a read for footy fans interested in what happens behind the scenes, but unlikely to change the way you think about AFL recruiting.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good insiders account of the AFL recruiting and trading environment. Scott Clayton has been at the heart of some of the most significant movements of some of the most incredible players of the last thirty years.

Across multiple clubs this book explores Scott Clayton’s remarkable career and the impact he has had on clubs and individuals. His finger prints are all over the original Brisbane Lions’ three peat and many other successful careers.

It is also a good accounting of low points across his time at the Suns and the Roos.

I really enjoyed this book.

[BZ66]

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