By Jon Pierik and Marc McGowan
Interim Melbourne president Brad Green has declared Clayton Oliver will be at the Demons’ opening centre bounce of season 2025, as the club remains unmoved by Oliver’s desire to become a Cat.
Oliver was the centre of attention at the Demons’ best-and-fairest count on Friday night, after a headline-grabbing week when his future has been a major point of debate following a meeting with Geelong.
Clayton Oliver was in good spirits as he arrived on Friday night.Credit: Simon Schluter
However, Green, speaking on stage at the Keith “Bluey” Truscott Memorial Trophy presentation at Centrepiece, took an unusual – but clear – road when all but declaring Oliver will not be traded.
In asking for all levels of the club and supporters to be unified after a tumultuous year, Green said: “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.”
Clayton Oliver arrives with a Melbourne official.Credit: Simon Schluter
The mention of Oliver and Petracca, the latter having bypassed the function to controversially attend a Red Bull training camp, drew a boisterous round of applause from the club faithful.
A club source, speaking anonymously because of the sensitivity of the situation, said earlier on Friday the Demons would not entertain a deal to release Oliver, the premiership onballer and four-time club champion from his multimillion-dollar contract, which has six years left to run.
Those comments were echoed by Viney, the Demons’ vice captain, who said Oliver was all but certain to remain a Demon.
“I spoke to Claz [Oliver] and I’m looking forward to him being part of the Melbourne footy club next year,” Viney told Ten.
“I’m not privy to list management discussions, but my understanding is that he’s a Melbourne Football Club player next year.”
Oliver was in good spirits while arriving at the medal presentation, and ambled into a function room laughing with Gawn, the Demons’ skipper. He was also well received by other teammates.
This masthead reported this week that Demons CEO Gary Pert had made contact with a number of teams to test interest in a potential trade, and that the 27-year-old met with senior Geelong officials and players amid a Cats bid to lure him to GMHBA Stadium.
Before Oliver met the Cats, the Demons said he was a “contracted, required member of the team”, and they were holding this line internally in the hours before the best and fairest count.
As the official AFL trade period got underway, this is the second time in as many years that they have initially floated him on the trade market only to hold him to his contract.
Oliver decided after his meetings with the Cats that he wanted to be part of their star-studded midfield in 2025, but both he and Geelong also recognised that any trade would be difficult and complex.
Man of the moment: Clayton Oliver is the centre of attention at the Demons.Credit: Getty Images
This masthead reported on Thursday that Geelong were only prepared to pay the full amount, or near the full amount, of Oliver’s nearly $8 million contract if the draft cost in a trade was heavily discounted.
The Demons would otherwise have to stump up some of his contract, which averages close to $1.3 million a year.
Green also used his speech to declare he will be “open and honest” as the club emerges through two reviews – one of its football department, the other of its board of directors – after Green’s predecessor, Kate Roffey, stood down amid the Petracca injury fiasco.
“Right now, we are not in the best position, but we are certainly not in the worst, either,” Green said after a season where the Demons failed to make the finals.
“This is a strong club with great players and great people, and we are within touching distance of being back to our best. We will realign ourselves, and together we will take this club back to where it belongs.
“What I do know is that we need stability and unity, from the board, to Perty, and club leaders, to Goody [men’s coach Simon Goodwin], our AFL program, our AFLW program, staff, members and supporters.”
Premiership wingman Angus Brayshaw, having retired this year because of a series of concussions, also delivered an emotional speech, in which he said he looks forward to watching Oliver play next season, insisting the Demons are not far from being back to their best.
Gawn had voiced his frustrations about the situation on Triple M radio on Friday morning.
“My role in this is people ask for my opinion. But I don’t sit in list management, and I don’t want to sit in list management. 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,” Gawn said.
“I love Clayton the player, but I love Clayton the person a whole lot more. I’m going to be there (for him) no matter what, throughout anything, good or bad. I hope Clayton knows that. Sometimes you can think your captain is involved in a few things … I promise I’m not, I’m there to put my arm around Clayton.”
On Thursday night, Geelong vice captain Tom Stewart confirmed this masthead’s report about his meeting with Oliver, who also met with the Cats’ CEO Steve Hocking.
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