GWS Giants Head of Talent Adrian Caruso candidly addressed his club's interest in wantaway Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver, after coach Adam Kingsley and football boss Jason McCartney were spotted with the four-time Bluey Truscott Trophy winner on Friday afternoon.
The decision-makers were seen enjoying Sydney Harbour with the out-of-favour Oliver, while Caruso attended the National Draft Combine; however, the administrator insists his club is still 'working through' what a deal may look like.
"From what I believe, it went well. It happened late, but it was a great opportunity for those guys to have that chat," Caruso said.
"We're still working through it. It was only Thursday afternoon that it popped. We wanted to get in front of him and have that discussion first and foremost. We haven't had a chance to debrief and figure out what the next steps would be."
Oliver's deal with the Demons, signed in 2022, until the end of 2030, projects to make him one of the league's biggest earners. It has been reported in recent days that the Demons are willing to contribute as much as $700,000 per season, in order to expedite trade discussions. Caruso offered that such a contribution from the storied Victorian club would be necessary for them to entertain Oliver's defection.
"Through the conversations with his manager, from our point of view, it would be a challenge to have those conversations if it was at full salary. If it was to happen and he wanted to come to the Giants, I think there seems to be some level of discussion around Melbourne contributing part of it," he said.
Questions have surfaced around the Giants' ability to play Oliver and gun academy product, and best and fairest winner, Tom Green, in the same midfield, given the similar contest and clearance archetypes that they are, but Caruso boasts a confidence that a balance can be struck.
"We've had that discussion. I think when you get the chance to bring in a potential A-grade midfielder, we'll make it work. They are very similar, but Tom's worked a lot on his transition game. He's not just a stoppage mid anymore. If you think about Clayton at his best, it's the contest ability as well as his transition ability which is what we think appeals. Having Tom and Finn (Callaghan), we've got a great one-two punch, but to add someone like Clayton would be a pretty good third banana, I would've thought," he said.
Oliver has received interest elsewhere, most notably from Collingwood. The Giants understand the 2021 premiership winner is yet to arrive at a preference regarding where he lands.
"We've had no indication," he said. "It's all still fresh for him as well, so he's gotta work through his options, and there are other options popping up. He's open to have those conversations and work through it. We'll be in the background waiting, but we're also in the background ourselves doing our work to make sure it is for us."
Rumours have swirled that the Giants hold an interest in a reunion with St Kilda midfielder Jack Steele, who stepped down from the captaincy at Moorabbin last week, while expressing an openness to a trade. Caruso cooled this chatter.
"I think until we establish where we sit on the Clayton one, it's hard to have those conversations about other options. At the moment, Clayton is more of a focus for us than Jack. We'll work through that over the course of the week. At the moment, I'd say it's more unlikely with Jack, given our midfield mix."
The midfield mix in question will again be asked to cover for a prolonged absence to smooth moving veteran Josh Kelly, with a hip complaint likely to sideline "Chook" for the bulk of next season. Caruso insists their active pursuit of Oliver is not a reaction to this setback.
"I think they're two separate things. Josh is going to need to have hip resurfacing, which is going to rule him out for six months plus, but I don't think that changes our strategy for next year. We believe we've got the core of a group that's good enough to win it, even if Josh is out for the bulk of next year. So whether it's Clayton or it's not, we still believe we're able to cover for Josh's absence, given that he missed the majority of this year and we played some pretty good footy. So yes, it's disappointing on his behalf, but hopefully with that surgery, he can get himself back to his best for the last few years of his contract."
It has been accepted as truth for some time that young defender Leek Aleer will make his way from Western Sydney to Moorabbin this off-season, but with the Saints' significant activity in the player movement space this off-season, Caruso is content to wait to broker the move.
"We've had initial discussions with St Kilda. They've got a lot on, so it's not something I see progressing early in the week. We'd rather wait and see what happens with some of their other deals and what ends up in their hand. We're open-minded; we're not sitting here asking for a pick that's gonna be inside the first 15, but we're also not going to be accepting something at the back end that we're not going to use. It'll land somewhere in the middle."
The Giants shape as a major player in the player movement space this off-season, in an effort to finally secure an elusive premiership.
