Treloar’s fiancee Kim Ravaillion says Collingwood’s ‘sh-tty lies’ not the reason they traded him

Western Bulldogs midfielder Adam Treloar’s fiancee says “all those sh-tty lies” were not the reason Collingwood forced him out.

Kim Ravaillion says the “sh-tty lies” Collingwood gave for trading partner Adam Treloar were a low blow.

Western Bulldogs midfielder Adam Treloar’s fiancee has laid bare the pain her family endured as the AFL star made a public and controversial exit from Collingwood last year.

His partner, Australian netball star Kim Ravaillion, with whom Treloar has a one-year-old daughter Georgie, has hit out at the Magpies’ claim her move to an interstate club would affect his mental wellbeing and had led to him being traded.

“All those shitty lies were not the reason they got rid of him, there was another reason (the club’s administration of its salary cap),” says Ravaillion of the drama that unfolded in October and November last year.

Kim says the club trying to blame her was an emotional rollercoaster. Picture: AAP Image

“It was an emotional rollercoaster,” she said.

“They (Collingwood) started to say to Adam, ‘it’s bad for your mental health’, ‘you won’t be able to handle the move’ and Adam said, ‘that’s up to me, it’s not up to you to decide.’

“Then they started to blame it on me. They were making excuses for why he’s going when in actual fact they just wanted him gone. You feel like you trust someone (the club) and then it all goes.”

Treloar had played for Collingwood for four years and had five seasons left on his contract.

His trade to the Bulldogs was the most high profile of a number of players moved on by the Magpies last year as the club looked to ease significant salary cap pressures.

The Magpies justified the trade to the Bulldogs with its concern about Ravaillion, 27, leaving her Collingwood Magpies netball club, and Melbourne, to rejoin the Queensland Firebirds, and the effect it expected the decision to have on Treloar.

There were claims Treloar “wouldn’t cope” with the separation when Ravaillion travelled north — albeit for a short three-month season — taking their baby daughter, Georgie, with her.

Reports also circled of Collingwood telling Treloar he no longer had the support of senior players, he wouldn’t be able to perform without Ravaillion and Georgie by his side and the club was concerned about his wellbeing.

It seemed like the pair were being punished, not celebrated, for both having successful sporting careers.

It was a low blow, Ravaillion says, adding while Treloar deserved more, so did she.

What was overlooked in the swirling winds of the storm was one of Australia’s best female athletes, and now new mum, returning to the game after 12 months off to have a baby.

Ravaillion wasn’t just a “WAG”, as she was described in reports linked to Treloar, but one of the country’s best netballers with 60 Diamonds caps and a World Championship win to her name.

Ravaillion says the club broke trust with Treloar. Picture: Getty

Treloar and Ravaillion after Georgie was born. Picture: Instagram

Her fire for the game was still strong and she was far from done.

The couple had long discussed her return to the court and Ravaillion knew her fiancee was right there cheering her on. She wasn’t about to let an AFL club dictate their situation.

Together they vowed to do what they needed to nurture both their sporting careers.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I said to Adam, ‘my career is not over and you have to realise that and if I want to go back to play, I’m going to do that’. He was so supportive and amazing.

“I did mention living interstate … I knew he was 100 per cent going to back me, which made me feel so much more ready to do it.”

The decision to do long distance was personal and should be up to the couple, felt Ravaillion, not a move for which an AFL club could take advantage.

“It’s like any normal person deciding on a job, except we’re in the sporting eye, any couple or person goes through this, we’ve just highlighted it,” says Ravaillion.

Meanwhile, this was happening at a time when the football club, like many others, had no qualms separating the team from their families and partners potentially for months when they moved the AFL season to Queensland last year.

Ravaillion moved interstate to join the AFL hub and support her partner for four months with Georgie, who was only three-months-old at the time.

So why now, when she was offered her opportunity to succeed, should the couple not be thrilled?

“We can’t change the opinions of people but to be honest we don’t care what people think of us,” she says.

“We know we’re happy and doing what we want. We want good careers and good lives so eventually Georgie grows up and has us as role models for what she wants.”

Treloar was eventually traded to the Western Bulldogs creating a sense of relief for the family. Picture: Getty

When the dust finally settled, Treloar was traded to the Western Bulldogs and it was “like a massive weight lifted”, says Ravaillion.
“We were so happy it was over and we didn’t have to think about it anymore, he could move on and start fresh,” she says.

“If anything, I hope we can set a good example that you can do this, you can chase your goals and you can have a career if you’re a mum, you can be in different states and make it work.

“We were always like, ‘this is what we’re doing, who cares what anyone else thinks’.”

Since Georgie, now 11 months, was born in March last year, Ravaillion has been tested in ways she could have never predicted.

But as she looks down at her little girl crawling around her feet in her apartment in Hawthorne, an inner-Brisbane suburb, she lights up with the smile of a mother who knows it’s all been worth it.

Over the past year Ravaillion has given birth in the peak of a global pandemic, lived through Melbourne’s months-long hard lockdown, isolated for four months in the AFL hub in Queensland while raising a newborn, endured national controversy, moved interstate and is now navigating how to co-parent long distance with Treloar, all while juggling a return to netball and caring for her daughter.

But there was never any question Ravaillion wouldn’t cope, she’s used to pushing herself to the limit and, she says, that’s when she thrives.
“I love motherhood, I want to have another baby as soon as I can,” she laughs, “obviously I’ll wait a bit but I’d love four kids.”

Ravaillion says maintaining her career was important to her. Picture: Mark Cranitch

She picks up Georgie, the baby who made her a mother, and the little girl who was brought into the world at one of the most chaotic times in recent history.

“We went into lockdown (in Melbourne) the day I was in labour (with Georgie) on March 23,” muses Ravaillion, “I was like, ‘OK … do I panic?’”

But a pandemic was not going to unnerve her.

“Adam and I were just in our bubble, it was a blessing in disguise because Adam got to be home for six whole weeks while we had a newborn,” she says.

“We thought it was amazing, we started to work out parent life and what works for us and Georgie.”

And just when they did, more hurdles appeared with news all Victorian AFL clubs would move to Queensland to form a hub allowing the AFL season to continue during COVID-19 under strict regulations.

Her twin sister, Jess, was approved to travel with her for support and Ravaillion used the time to get her body back to peak fitness.
She wanted to be ready to return to netball in case any offers came in and they did.

“I was approached by a couple of clubs but I was just waiting for the Firebirds,” she says.

“When I played up here the memories of netball were awesome and I loved every minute of it.”

She wanted that excitement back, a feeling she’d gradually lost during the three seasons she played with the Collingwood Magpies after she left the Firebirds in 2016.

Despite her personal life thriving in Melbourne, having met Treloar in her first year with the club in 2017 (he trained at the same facility), Ravaillion was struggling on the court.

Ravaillion with Firebirds teammate Gretel Tippett. Picture: Mark Cranitch

“I wasn’t in a happy place, I wasn’t really loving the game,” she says.

“I was run down, not enjoying playing and I wasn’t playing very well, or at the capacity I’d like to.

“If anything, getting pregnant was a blessing in disguise because it made me have the year off.”

Ravaillion has made a smooth transition into Queensland life with Georgie and mum Sina —

who moved from New South Wales to live with them and help look after Georgie while she trains — but says she is still figuring out long distance with Treloar.

“We’re just going day by day, we’re so grateful for technology these days and we FaceTime all the time so we can see each other every day,” she says.

The plan is to travel back and forth when there’s an opening in schedules but after the short three-month Sun Super netball season is finished, Ravaillion plans to return to Melbourne for the remainder of the year and Treloar’s AFL season.

“We’re both so busy this time of year … our minds are pretty distracted but you do miss each other,” she says.

“Each morning I put Georgie on to Ads (on FaceTime), it’s so cute.

“We will play it week by week and map it out each week and see what we can do.”

The young couple is committed to making it work and are each other’s biggest supporters. Ravaillion knows it’s only for a few months and in their lifetime together, it’s more than doable. They know now is the prime time to live out their sporting dreams while they’re young and healthy.

Originally published as Treloar’s fiancee Kim Ravaillion says Collingwood’s ‘sh-tty lies’ not the reason they traded him