Cornes would move “heaven and earth” to trade Oliver if he were Dees as reports re-emerge

Rival clubs are again considering a move for Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver this off-season, according to AFL Media’s Cal Twomey.

Oliver was a big talking point last off-season with Adelaide, St Kilda and Geelong among clubs to show interest in him amid a turbulent off-field period.

Following that interrupted off-season, Oliver played 21 games for Melbourne in 2024 but struggled with form, knee, hand and rib injuries at stages.

While Oliver was well below his best last season, AFL Trade Radio’s Josh Jenkins and Damian Barrett think that rivals must believe they can help him return to top form if they’re considering trade moves for him.

As Oliver is also signed until the end of 2030 on a lucrative contract, Barrett thinks that Melbourne would have to be prepared to pay some of what he’s owed going forward if any trade is to be done.

Jenkins: “It’s a big decision if you're going to go after him with six years and (more than) $5.5 million still owing to him.

“You'd want to be confident you can get him back to his best.”

Barrett: “You'd be keen to see what Melbourne now does too to see how much they're prepared to pay of that money, because I'd imagine if you are going to engage with this conversation, you’d hope that or expect even that Melbourne would pay some of it.

“We'll get a feel in the next two and a half to three weeks as to how much the Melbourne Football Club wants or doesn't want to have Clayton Oliver part of it.

“The fact that it (trade rumours) is out there again, clearly, the clubs are the first to know when the possibility is in play.”

Responding to those reports and Sam McClure’s story in The Age that Geelong is again showing interest in Oliver, Kane Cornes said that he’d do whatever it takes to get rid of Oliver’s deal if he were Melbourne – even if that means throwing in a draft pick to get a rival club to take on his salary.

“He has six years remaining on a contract to Melbourne where his average annual wage exceeds $1 million,” Cornes said on SEN Sportsday.

“If I was Melbourne, I would move heaven and earth to get rid of that $6 million off my books.

“In fact, I said throughout the year I'd give a draft pick if you were prepared to take that contract off Melbourne's hands.

“That's how much I would be prepared to get rid of Clayton Oliver out of my footy club, so you didn't have to deal with it (off-field issues) again, and you free up the salary cap room.

“Geelong they've been linked to another player in Bailey Smith, so I’m not sure how they do it (trade for Oliver).”

Oliver, 27, will be 33 by the time his deal expires at the end of the 2030 AFL season.