Western Bulldogs assistant coach Cam Mooney has called captain Ryan Griffen’s move to leave the club shocking but thinks it could be the platform for success.

The Bulldogs’ ransom for Griffen should be one of the Giants’ glamour forwards – if Mooney’s advice is taken on board by the recruitment team.

“I’d be saying right Giants, if you want him you need to pay big for him,” he said.

“We want a Boyd, we want a Cameron, we want a pick two.

“It’ll be a really good platform for the Dogs in the coming years.”

Mooney said he understood Griffen had been offered a “huge deal” from the Giants, telling SEN radio on Thursday the obvious: it stunk.

“I think it’s a really shocking look for your captain to walk out on your footy club,” he said.

“What kind of standard are you setting for the young guys at the group when your captain walks out?”

With rumours swirling of Brendan McCartney’s scathing post-season reviews, there was tough love from Mooney for the new generation of players that couldn’t take the tough love dished out.

“There’s been a lot of players who, when they get a little bit of a kick up the backside, everyone goes and sits in the corner and sucks their thumb for an hour,” he said.

“They wouldn’t have lasted ten years in our day.”

Bulldogs goalkicking legend Brad Johnson said he was in shock when he heard the news, leaving no prospect of Griffen staying at Whitten Oval.

“The decision’s been made, the deal will be done,” he said.

“(The club) needs to make some serious decisions in the next 24 to 48 hours.”

Fellow club stalwart Doug Hawkins said Griffen was up with Kelvin Templeton and Chris Grant as Bulldogs champions.

“I’m absolutely stumped, I’m a monster fan,” he said.

“The club cannot afford to lose their marquee player, their best player and the club captain.”

Former Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace told AFL Trade Radio the outlook for the club without the 202-game player was bleak.

“With Griffen out of the side they’re going to be bottom six,” he said.

“What they are doing is realigning things for their next crack at it.

“But sorry people, that will probably be three, four, five years down the track.”

At least Mooney could see an upside, recalling the move that took him to Geelong – Cats captain Leigh Colbert’s switch to North Melbourne.

“Myself and Corey Enright were in that trade and got to the footy club and were part of that group that built into a successful team,” he said.

“There’s no point having anyone at your footy club, whether it’s your captain or your 39th player at your footy club if he doesn’t want to be here.”