Melbourne star Clayton Oliver has revealed he did seek a move to Geelong in last year's trade period after 18 months of off-field drama culminated into the tipping point last October.
Oliver's issues with the Demons date back to 2023 when the 27-year-old was vocal about the handling of his injuries, before an off-season of behavioural and personal issues saw trade rumours floated between Melbourne and the Crows.
Oliver remained a Demon but had a heavily interrupted pre-season, impacting his 2024 campaign as he recorded the worst figures since his debut year. Melbourne fell sharply after three consecutive seasons inside the top four, with some of their poor performances attributable to Oliver's lack of form.
Concerns over Oliver's professionalism led to Melbourne seeking the midfielder's trade value to Adelaide again in 2024, which therefore led to Oliver taking matters into his own hands, making a trip down the highway to meet with Geelong officials.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Oliver sheepishly admitted the trade speculation was true, and that he had considered a move to Kardinia Park in 2025.
In response to whether he was "keen to get a trade to Geelong at one stage" Oliver replied, "Yeah".
"I got told I was on the trade table, there was a few things going on, which I understand. I get paid a fair bit to play football and perform at a high level and I wasn't doing that," Oliver said.
"I wasn't the best teammate or best person at the club, so yeah, I understand that."
Oliver said a phone call received before the club best and fairest night from president Brad Green was the first time in a long time that he had felt fully supported by the club and its executive staff.
Last week Green revealed an "emotional" conversation the pair had had before the awards, where the former Demons forward revealed he could hear Oliver breaking down into tears.
"It was probably the first time I had felt like that (supported)," Oliver said.
"Especially someone that high up who put their arms around me."
Oliver looks back to his best after an uninterrupted pre-season, racking up numbers on the stat sheet in the pre-season clash against Fremantle last Sunday.
The star midfielder amassed 28 disposals and kicked three goals in an all-round dominant hitout, while fellow gun midfielder Christian Petracca returned from his own hellish battles and off-field controversy to record a game-high 33 touches.
The Demons take on GWS at home in Round 1, with the pairing of Oliver and Petracca set to line-up together in an official home and away game for the first time since the King's Birthday clash.
