AFL trade news 2024: Clayton Oliver stays with Melbourne Demons despite interest from Geelong Cats

Demons interim president Brad Green has declared that Clayton Oliver will not give up as speculation swirls that he is nearing a trade with Geelong.

After a week of speculation about Oliver's future, Green used his speech at the club's end-of-season dinner on Friday evening to dispel the rumours.

“I know I'll get to the first round next year when I see the first ball bounce and our midfield [Max] Gawn, [Jack] Viney, [Clayton] Oliver and [Christian] Petracca, our first release 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 wider talk about the club and its fans remaining united after a tumultuous season, sparked cheers and applause.

Reports throughout the week suggested the struggling midfielder was all but out and talks with Geelong were likely to intensify during next week's trade period.

Petracca was also reportedly strongly considering leaving the club after his family became angry at how the club handled his serious injuries earlier this season. Eventually the demons convinced him to stay there.

On Friday, journalist Sam Edmund told AFL Trade Radio he believes the Demons will block Oliver's move, despite widespread belief the club was desperate to offload the 27-year-old.

“I think there's a real chance that, in the best and fairest case scenario, Melbourne will get up tonight and complete this whole thing,” Edmund said.

Kane Cornes replied: “It’s a complete dumpster fire in Melbourne at the moment.”

Captain Max Gawn has rubbished the “worrying” leaks about Oliver's future, which appeared to have come from within the club itself.

While Gawn claims to have no insider knowledge of the conversations, it is the fact that information continues to leak into the media that makes him angry.

“I’m not in list management, and I don’t want to be in list management,” Gawn said Triple M breakfast with Rosie, Wil & daisy.

“So I can share my opinion – which I'm not going to share now – and actually I'm a little annoyed at how many of our opinions are coming to light, so that's quite concerning and something that we're going to need to address.”

Oliver came close to being traded during last year's postseason, but ultimately stayed with the Demons, where he has six years left on a lucrative long-term contract.

He is 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 described it as the worst contract in AFL history.

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.

After a tumultuous few months, he missed most of the 2024 pre-season and his teammates wondered when he would be available to play again.

The Demons themselves have been under intense scrutiny, given how much the club appears to have regressed since that triumph in 2021.

The trading period officially opens on Monday.