Melbourne's Clayton Oliver is reportedly receiving interest from fellow Victorian club Geelong in the case that he'll seek a fresh start.
After a troubled off-season, which saw Oliver depart the club's pre-season camp due to health matters, rivals have kept a close eye on the champion midfielder.
Adelaide and Essendon were two clubs who initially showed interest after the 2023 season but were halted by the Demons' commitment to the star midfielder.
The Cats - who have an ageing cohort - are looking to bolster their core from 2025 and beyond, given the likely retirement of Patrick Dangerfield (33) and Cam Guthrie (31) in the near future.
However, Oliver's contract still has him locked away at Melbourne until the end of 2030, which is roughly worth around $1 million a season and something Geelong would need to consider, according to journalist Jay Clark.
If the four-time best and fairest winner were to make the switch down the highway, he'd join Max Holmes, Tanner Bruhn, and Jhye Clark, as well as a host of young midfield talentย who are starting to take the reigns from Dangerfield and Guthrie.
Chris Scott's club has also been bold in itsย links to Western Bulldogs' Bailey Smith, who will miss the entire 2024 due to an ACL injury.
Like Oliver, Smith has had multiple off-field issues and could be seeking a new start.
Fortunately for Geelong and their fans, they have a knack for turning troubled guns into bonafide stars of the competition.
Tyson Stengle came to the club after being delisted from Richmond and Adelaide before finding his place at Kardinia Park.
Not long after, he was a 2022 premiership player and All-Australian in the same year, kicking 53 goals as a small forward.
Oliver featured in Melbourne's 'Opening Round' loss to Sydney, racking up high numbers but not at his usual domination.
Gathering 30 possessions and six clearances, the 26-year-old looked to be back on the path to stardom, with teammates excited by his performance since returning to the club.
Speaking onย AFL360, fellow midfielder and mate Christian Petracca admitted "he lost" trust in Oliver but was impressed by his return.
โYeah, I have (lost trust), a little bit in some way, but not in the last 10 or 11 weeks," Petracca said on Tuesday night.
โHe's earned that trust back significantly, and it's hard to just put Clayton in that situation and put him as the poster boy because of all the stuff that's been documented away from the game.
โThe mountain of the work he's done over the last eight or nine weeks is a credit to him. The thing that I've learnt over the last seven or eight weeks is the power of forgiveness.
โAnd, yeah, he probably did, lost a bit of trust in some of the playing group, but the way he's earned that back over the last eight or nine weeks has been pretty inspirational, to be honest."
After failing to start 2024 off with a win, the Demons will look to square the ledger against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday at the MCG.
