Clayton Oliver shattered as new Melbourne coach Steven King tells him to explore options

Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver has lashed out at the airport after being told to find a new club in a heated meeting with the Demons on Thursday morning.

7NEWS understands Oliver was informed on Wednesday night to arrive for a 10am Thursday morning meeting with the club.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Clayton Oliver lashes out after being told to find new club.

The meeting with new coach Steven King and Demons officials lasted just 12 minutes where he was told to explore his options elsewhere.

Oliver, 28, was left shattered when told his midfield opportunities would be limited despite a contract worth up to $1.3m per year over the next five seasons.

It’s understood Oliver had been excited for a fresh outlook at the Demons until the meeting was called on Wednesday night.

Melbourne issued a statement later on Thursday saying the conversation with Oliver was “honest and respectful”.

“We were upfront with Clayton around the role he is likely to play next season and the need for him to develop his craft beyond the midfield to have his biggest impact within the team,” list boss Tim Lamb said.

“It was honest and respectful, and Clayton is now clear on what we see his role being next year, and how we think he can best contribute.

“Clayton is contracted for another five years. If he wants to explore his options in the upcoming AFL trade period, we will respect that. Should he remain in the red and blue, we will of course continue to support and embrace him as part of our club.”

Oliver was spotted at Melbourne Airport less than two hours after the meeting ended, with tempers flaring when the trade question was raised.

“I’m going to Sydney on a holiday and then I’m going to America, and it’s got nothing to do with anything,” he told 7NEWS.

Oliver also appeared to poke fun at the situation on Instagram.

He shared a photo of himself playing VFL football for Casey, captioned: “Actually doesn’t look too bad on me.”

Geelong chased Oliver last year but are not expected to actively chase this time round.

Sydney Swans, GWS Giants and Adelaide are among the clubs to watch.

“We’ve had a bit of an honest question about Clayton’s role and my philosophies around how I want my midfield to work and essentially how he needs to keep evolving as a player both inside and outside,” King told 7NEWS Melbourne on Thursday.

“He’s contracted at the club for a further five years so the challenge would be for Clayton, as for all our players, to start with a clean slate and get to work and evolve and adapt to how I want the game played.”

Oliver is contracted until the end of 2030 after signing a long-term contract when he was at the peak of his powers.

But it has been a rapid fall from grace for the four-time best-and-fairest winner, and in 2023 his professionalism was repeatedly questioned when he battled injury and form issues.

He took time away from the club ahead of the 2024 season, and at the end of that year he had a secret meeting with a group of Geelong senior players on the eve of the trade period.

The club was determined to keep him, and in 2025, there was some expectation Oliver might return to his best.

But he turned in an underwhelming season as Melbourne slumped to 14th on the ladder.

Now, with premiership coach Simon Goodwin sacked and King taking over, the club is looking at an immediate reset.

The fresh Oliver news comes as his premiership teammates Christian Petracca and Steven May search for a new home.

Like Oliver, both May and Petracca are under contract but the 33-year-old defender has also been told to explore his options, while Petracca has requested a trade.

Petracca has already had a medical with Adelaide and is meeting Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick on Thursday.

But King isn’t ruling out reintegrating Petracca at Melbourne.

“I let him know how excited I would be to work with him,” he said.

“Obviously he’s contracted for four more years so if it doesn’t work out I’ve got his back and can’t wait to include him in this group.”

King said he can’t guarantee game time, or a contract extension, for May.

“It was a really respectful decision and conversation. (We said) if you want to extend your career a little further maybe look elsewhere,” the coach said.

“We’ve got some promising young players that we want to get some games into and let them get some exposure at AFL level.

“That’s not to say Steven can’t stay and fight for his spot, because he can, but we wanted to let him look at what might be out there for him.”

King is a former Geelong captain and was a highly regarded assistant at the club before being appointed as Melbourne’s new head coach.

He officially took over this week after the Cats lost the grand final on Saturday.

King said they still have to find an assistant coach for a development role, and a VFL coach.

“We’re sitting down with some quality candidates now and hopefully by the end of the week we have a couple of appointments,” he said.