Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver is set to choose GWS over Collingwood as his preferred destination for 2026, after the Demons told him to find a new home in the trade period.
Oliver met with GWS and toured the facilities this week, and has clearly had his heart set on them, choosing to only fleetingly meet with Collingwood list boss Justin Leppitsch.
Hird believes the departures of Oliver and Christian Petracca are an enormous blow for Melbourne, particularly given how little they will receive for the former.
“It’s a disaster for Melbourne. An absolute disaster,” Hird told Nine’s Footy Furnace.
“Not on the current administration, but on the past administration. He’s an AFLCA Player of the Year winner twice and a four-time best and fairest, they’re paying half his money and he’s leaving.
“Petracca and Oliver leaving the club surely has disaster written all over it. Maybe they’re making the best of what they can with the situation, but to have those two players walk out of your club with what they can be, I think is a disaster.”
Clayton Oliver. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Geelong offered a first round pick and would have paid $1m per season of Oliver’s salary, had the Demons agreed to that trade last year.
The year before that, Adelaide was all-in on acquiring the Dees star as well. Again, Melbourne declined to move him.
Now, Melbourne will be lucky to get a third round pick for Oliver, while paying half of his salary – and Hird believes it has proven to be a costly mistake.
“If you look at where the club’s at, a new CEO and a new coach has come in and good on them to make these tough decisions, but they didn’t do it last year and it is a cautionary tale for another club out at Tullamarine about what they choose to do (with Zach Merrett),” Hird said.
Numerous contracted players around the competition want out, including Merrett at Essendon, Charlie Curnow at Carlton and Bailey Humphrey at Gold Coast.
Hird’s cautionary tale note might apply to those players down the line, should the players not get their way.
The Dees will reportedly pay up to $700,000 of his salary every year through 2030 just to help dump Oliver, in what can only be described as a desperate move to reset the club.
Fellow premiership star Christian Petracca has requested a trade to Gold Coast.