In 1964, Clay became the first GVFL player to kick over 100 goals in a season, eventually finishing with 116 and also winning the League's best-and-fairest award, the Morrison Medal.
[2] Clay's performances inevitably attracted attention from a number of VFL clubs, and initially he had signed a Form Four agreement with North Melbourne after former player Les Mogg saw him in action in a practice match for Kyabram at Cobram.
To accommodate Hart, Hafey switched Clay to the wing where he formed a revered centreline with Francis Bourke and Bill Barrot.
In 1970, the Tigers again suffered a premiership hangover, despite attracting significant talent to the club and being billed as 'the glamour side of the League and [...] the most skilled and professional team to take a football field.
[6] After Barrot's controversial departure to St Kilda, Clay was again shifted, this time to full-back, where he would star in the back-to-back victories of 1973 and 1974 and the 1972 defeat to Carlton.