Melbourne great Garry Lyon would be horrified if Clayton Oliver was to up and leave the Demons.
Reports are emerging that the 26-year-old midfielder could potentially be a tradable option for the Dees with rival clubs reportedly enquiring about his availability.
MELBOURNE OPEN TO TRADING OLIVER FOR THE RIGHT PRICE AMID FRUSTRATION AND CONCERN FROM TEAMMATES
Seeing as a Oliver is a four-time Melbourne best and fairest, a three-time All-Australian and a two-time AFLCA Player of the Year, Lyon would be shocked if he was traded.
“I’m horrified at the prospect,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“He’s one of my all-time favourites. I’m horrified at the prospect at the thought that this (could happen).”
Co-host Tim Watson attempted to make sense of the story and why the Demons may even at all be pondering such a significant move.
“Could the thinking be around the fact be that we’ve got a depth of midfielders, we’ve got some other young players that we would like to play, Clayton Oliver is there, we need something that we currently don’t have which is a forward,” he added.
“We need a potential key forward, do you think that could be in Melbourne’s thinking?
Lyon replied: “No.
“That would be the thinking if in fact it gets to that point.
“If it gets to that stage (that Oliver does want to leave), then you go, ‘Ok, what do we need if this was to happen?’.
“He’s contracted of course, signed a seven-year contract at around the $7 million mark. So that would be problematic.
“I wonder how many clubs would have $1 million in their salary cap.”
Watson does not believe there would be many clubs with that sort of money to splash on a player like Oliver at such late notice.
“I can’t imagine there’d be too many clubs that would,” he said.
“Clubs generally plan this stuff from a long way back. If they’re going to make an assault on a particular player, they’re generally talking to them for 12 to 18 months or maybe even to years waiting for them to come out of contract. They’re putting all their ducks in line so that they have this money available to them in their salary cap.
“There would be very few clubs right now that would have a million dollars sitting there available to them that they could actually pay.
“And if they did decide that they want to go after Clayton Oliver, they would probably have to move something else around which means somebody could make way for Oliver, if he becomes available, meaning that facilitates another move of one of their players which makes a movement in the system that wasn’t thought to be possible prior.”
SEN’s Tom Morris provided some further clarity around a situation that could be ever evolving.
He did warn, however, that we should not be getting carried away just yet.
“This is one of those stories that the trade period will feed off if it continues to grow,” Morris said.
“There’s still a long way to go, that’s really important to note. Melbourne is not trying to push him out, but this story emanates from the fact that rival clubs believe that he is gettable for the right price.
“They don’t think that about Max Gawn or Christian Petracca or other star players. Oliver is different.
“There’s a lot going on behind the scenes with Oliver this year. He’s had his most difficult year to endure because of injuries. His view is that the club mishandled his hamstring injury and that the medical department and strength and conditioning department didn’t do what’s best by him.
“The club’s view is that his professionalism wasn’t what it should be. They don’t doubt his talents, they don’t doubt that on the field he is a competitor and he’s a star when he plays, but there is a disconnect between the two at the moment.”
Listen to the latest on the Oliver situation below: