Melbourne's tumultuous 2024 year continues to rear its ugly head as head of leadership Jim Plunkett has reportedly quit the club.

The Demons have long been in the spotlight throughout the season following the Clayton Oliver saga that plagued the pre-season before Christian Petracca's injury and subsequent desire to move rang all the alarms.

And now, in a more recent update, Oliver is seemingly wanting to head down the highway to Geelong, with the star midfielder having recently met up with the destination club despite holding a six-year deal worth over $1 million a season.

Channel 7's Mitch Cleary revealed the news of Plunkett's departure, who leaves after eight years of working closely with coach Simon Goodwin.

The former AFL player, who made 47 appearances for the Bulldogs and Carlton, joined Melbourne in 2016 following a stint with Leading Teams.

"Plunkett held key roles on the bench on matchday and once ran growth sessions โ€” an idea formed by Goodwin โ€” to help players and coaches create bonds and deepen relationships," theย Channel 7 report detailed.

"Initially the Demons' general manager of people and culture, Plunkett later stepped up to become head of leadership, learning and development.

"He has departed Melbourne to form his own leadership performance business, Telos Performance Partners, alongside former Melbourne assistant coach Greg Stafford and Adelaide Crows high performance boss Darren Burgess, who previously worked at the Demons."

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Plunkett's departure comes in the midst of an external review conducted by key figurehead in culture and leadership at the New Zealand All Blacks Darren Shand.

Following the Petracca saga, president Kate Roffey stood down from her role, who a month ago, emphatically denied the club's need for outside counsel.

Roffey has now been replaced by former player Brad Green.

Melbourne forward and ruck coach Greg Stafford was also part of the exodus as he seeks other opportunities while Kysaiah Pickett's annual move-home factor reared its ugly head again once, with Fremantle tipped to make a play.

Premiership midfielder Alex Neal-Bullen will head to Adelaide to be closer to family while, lingering in the shadows, is Joel Smith's provisional ban for testing positive to a banned substance, proving to be the cherry on top in a year from hell for the Demons.