AFL Trade Period day 7: How much of Clayton Oliver’s deal at GWS Melbourne will have to pay
Clayton Oliver is set to become a Giant on the final day of the trade period as details over how much he’ll be paid and what GWS will offer Melbourne become clearer.
Clayton Oliver has been presented a five-year deal at GWS, with Melbourne to pay about half of his current wage.
Greater Western Sydney offered Melbourne a 2026 third-rounder in exchange for the decorated star.
The Giants are only willing to part with that third-rounder from next year’s draft for Oliver and have made clear they also have only a certain salary in mind to pay him.
The Demons would likely have to pay about $600,000-$700,000 of his $1.3 million salary next year and until 2030, with his management working with Melbourne on whether they can make that deal work.
The alternative is that he stays at Melbourne on his full wage given the Giants have a reasonably tight salary cap and will retain Leek Aleer on a three-year deal.
Clayton Oliver will take a pay cut to get to the Giants. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images.
Oliver met with the Pies twice in the past fortnight and while he also had a zoom with Collingwood his heart is set on playing at the Giants.
They believe they have a strong culture and elite program that would get the best out of a player who has been below par in his past two seasons despite his glittering resume.
He has two AFL MVPs, three All Australian jumpers and four best-and-fairest on that resume and the Giants believe he can play well with fellow inside mid Tom Green.
Green averaged 29.7 possessions and was elite for disposals, contested possessions and clearances but was also above average for scoreboard impact and metres gained.
The Giants would absorb the length of the five-year contract but only half the money as they continue to retain their stars including Sam Taylor, Finn Callaghan, Josh Kelly and Toby Greene.
Captain Greene comes out of contract next year but the club has locked away most of its young talent including young No.1 overall pick Aaron Cadman and Darcy Jones.
GWS will retain Aleer after he was shunned by St Kilda after the club made a commitment to him a long way out from the 2025 trade period.
North Melbourne expressed interest in Aleer but quickly decided against any move for the third tall, who is still trying to hit his AFL peak.
The Giants on Monday announced he’d signed a two-year deal.
Rival list bosses are still shocked at that development and are unsure why a club would commit so strongly to a player then withdraw given it will make it harder for St Kilda to lure talent next year.
The Giants view is that when they used up their future second-rounder for West Coast’s Liam Ryan they were no longer prepared to use any more future assets.
But they could have put a price on Aleer’s head no one else would have met and got him through the pre-season draft.
Originally published as AFL Trade Period day 7: How much of Clayton Oliver’s deal at GWS Melbourne will have to pay
$10 million man? Hawks unbothered by Dons’ ‘PR move’
