Melbourne key defender Jake Lever will be a watch at this year's trade period after he was dropped for the Round 16 trip to Gold Coast.
Lever has been a staple of the Demons' backline unit, but amid a rough patch under Simon Goodwin, he was sent back to the VFL to regain some confidence.
The former Crow returned the following week against Adelaide, but according to Channel 9's Tom Morris, "he was so angry".
Lever's performance in the reserves gave Goodwin assurance he was ready for an AFL recall, gathering 17 touches and 13 marks.
"What I can tell you about Jake Lever is that he was so angry when he got dropped," Morris said on Footy Classified.
"He felt he was blindsided, as a result, he felt he was disrespected. He's not the only player that's going to be frustrated and angry when they get dropped.
Jake Lever didn’t see being dropped coming. It came out of nowhere and it angered him at the time. Rival clubs are aware of this and are watching his situation closely.
But he’s a pro. He went back, played VFL, and there is no suggestion of any lingering unrest. @FootyonNine https://t.co/j4yietI58S
— Tom Morris (@tommorris32) July 8, 2025
"But for a senior player to feel this way, other clubs believe this is a watch now in this year's trade period.
"He's contracted until the end of 2028. Rival clubs are aware of how frustrated he was and how angry he was, and they're just keeping an eye on it now."
Lever has played 129 games for Melbourne, including a pivotal role in the drought-breaking premiership in 2021.
It comes in a year, as the Demons are in crisis, weighing up their next big move as a club.
The past few years have seen Melbourne embroiled in multiple sagas regarding trades of star players, drug charges, and a cultural problem that led to an All Blacks legend conducting a review.
Goodwin and his men have recorded five victories thus far, but have a month of winnable games against North Melbourne, Carlton, St Kilda and West Coast.
