Interim Demons president Brad Green has declared Clayton Oliver isn’t going anywhere amid heavy speculation he’s closing in on a trade to Geelong.
After a week of speculation surrounding Oliver’s future, Green used his speech at the club’s end-of-season dinner on Friday night to put the rumours to bed.
“I know come round one next year, when I see the first ball bounced, and our midfield of [Max] Gawn, [Jack] Viney, [Clayton] Oliver and [Christian] Petracca, our first clearance, that you Melbourne faithful will be there in full force,” he said.
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The mention of Oliver and Petracca, which came amid a wider spiel about the club and supporters to remain united after a tumultuous season, drew cheers and a round of applause.
Reports throughout the week suggested the troubled midfielder was all but out the exit door and talks with Geelong would likely heat up during the trade period next week.
Petracca, too, was reportedly strongly considering leaving after his family became infuriated at how the club handled his serious injuries earlier this season. Ultimately the Demons convinced him to stay put.
On Friday, journalist Sam Edmund told AFL Trade Radio he believes the Demons will stymie Oliver’s move, despite widespread belief the club was keen to offload the 27-year-old.
https://twitter.com/Sammy__Edmund/status/1841958828835012897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“I think there’s a real chance that at the best and fairest tonight, Melbourne are going to get up and shut this down completely,” Edmund said.
Kane Cornes responded “it is a complete dumpster fire at Melbourne right now”.
Skipper Max Gawn ripped the “concerning” leaks about Oliver’s future, which appeared to have come from within the club.
While Gawn claims to have no inside knowledge of the conversations, it is the fact information keeps finding its way to media that has him fuming.
“I don’t sit in list management, and I don’t want to sit in list management,” Gawn told Triple M Breakfast with Rosie, Wil & Daisy.
“So, I can share my opinion – which I’m not going to share now – and in fact I’m getting a little bit annoyed about how many of our opinions are getting out, so that is quite concerning and something we will need to address.”
Oliver was on the verge of being traded during last year’s post-season period but ultimately stayed at the Demons, where he has six years remaining on a lucrative long-term contract.
He is being paid about $1.3 million per season. The Demons would likely have to pay some of that even if he went to a rival club.
On Thursday Cornes labelled it the worst contract in the history of the AFL.
Oliver won the 2021 premiership with Melbourne and is a three-time All-Australian, but has been plagued by injuries and off-field incidents over the past 12 months.
He missed most of the 2024 pre-season after a tumultuous few months and teammates were left wondering when he would be available to play again.
The Demons themselves have been under intense scrutiny given how badly the club seems to have declined since that 2021 triumph.
The trade period officially opens on Monday.
