The extraordinary trade chatter around Melbourne superstar Clayton Oliver has reached nuclear levels and new details have emerged of a “disconnect” between the player and club.
7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary has confirmed members of the club’s board are locked in a meeting on Wednesday night, thrashing out the midfielder’s future, and whether they put the 26-year-old up for a bombshell trade.
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“7NEWS understands Melbourne teammates are aware Oliver would be open to entertaining a potential move to the Crows,” Cleary has revealed.
Oliver’s professionalism was called into question during a troubled season where he ended up in hospital due to an infection in his foot, and was also ruled out of action with a serious hamstring injury.
Rival clubs are “waiting by the phone” to see which way the club goes, Cleary said.
Clayton Oliver is open to leaving the Demons. Credit: Getty Images
Cleary said the club had been silent on the matter but something could be released later tonight.
“(Clubs are) aware of tension between the gun midfielder and some sections of the Demons over his attitude,” Cleary said.
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“Melbourne still hold the keys given he’s contracted until 2030.
“(But) clubs, including Adelaide, are doing due diligence on how a trade would work and how to fit in his $7 million contract.”
Cleary said Oliver held “a close link” with (Adelaide’s) fitness boss Darren Burgess who was previously at the Demons.
Oliver recently admitted to 7NEWS that the whole situation around his injuries had been “really frustrating”.
“And I probably didn’t handle it the way I should have,” he confessed.
Oliver is a four-time best-and-fairest winner at Melbourne, a three-time All-Australian, and has won two AFL Coaches’ Association Player of the Year awards.
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Cleary said the future of Oliver would become clearer tonight.
Earlier on Wednesday Essendon great Tim Watson wondered how a rival club could suddenly fit a player on Oliver’s wage into their salary cap.
“There would be very few clubs that would have $1 million (per season) sitting there available to them,” Watson said on SEN.
“And if they did, if they decided they were going to Clayton Oliver, they would probably have to move something else around.”
Melbourne great Garry Lyon said: “I’m horrified at the prospect (of the Demons losing Oliver) … horrified at the thought this could happen.
“This is a generational midfield talent right now, who at 26 has done some stuff (on the field) that not many have done.”
Oliver told 7NEWS he didn’t handle his injuries very well. Credit: Seven
Melbourne’s Achilles’ Heel is widely considered to be their forward line, but Lyon did not believe the club was pushing Oliver out the door to make room for a star forward.
“I don’t think it’s them saying let’s trade Clayton to get a forward. I think it’s let’s deal with what we have got with Clayton and work out what’s best for the footy club,” he said.
“They are not shopping him and he’s not saying he wants to go.
“This is not a forgone conclusion.”
Veteran AFL caller Dwayne Russell said he believed there was a “disconnect” between Oliver and Melbourne.
“I was actually with Clayton Oliver (on) grand final morning for an hour and had a good chat with him,” Russell said on SEN.
“Much of what he told me was obviously private … but the wildfire is out now (and) there is a disconnect there at the moment.
“Melbourne either needs to give Clayton Oliver a massive hug, or they need to trade him, one of the two.
“I just think he needs a giant hug, that’s the way I see it, that’s my reading of it.
“I don’t know how big a disconnect it is, whether it’s broken to the point that it’s irreparable or whether it’s an easy repair, that’s the hard part from just an hour of conversation.”
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