MELBOURNE’S AFL List Manager Tim Lamb has spoken to media on the opening day of the 2025 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period. 

Discussing the club’s focuses heading into the AFL’s ‘silly season’, Lamb touched on the potential trade that would see Demons depart and the players of interest from other clubs. 

On Clayton Oliver

“We had a meeting with Clayton face to face, with Richo [Alan Richardson], myself and Stephen King at Clayton's management office and it was a really good discussion,” Lamb said. 

“I wouldn't describe it as heated at all, it was really honest. [Steven King] detailed that conversation, he outlined how we saw our midfield progression going forward, the adaptability we wanted in our players, how we saw Clayton fitting into that and what he'd expect from Clayton moving forward.

“Clayton left that meeting fully aware of the expectations going forward for him at the club next year.

“Kingy said he wants a really adaptable midfield with players who can play different roles, so that was pretty much how it was explained.

“Clearly there’s some interest from a few clubs and we’re going to work through all facets of the negotiation, but we won’t go into any detail on that at this point.”

On Christian Petracca

"All I'll say is that Christian is a contracted superstar of our club and the competition," Lamb said. 

"He's a modern day great, he's already had a Hall of Fame career, he's a legend of our footy club, so, if someone wants him, come and talk to us and pay up."

On Steven May

“That's probably right, [that he’s playing for the Dees in 2026]," Lamb said. 

“The conversation with Steve was about Steve. He's got one year to run [on his contract] and that purely was a conversation like ‘hey, if you can extend your career somewhere else, we'll be really open to that’.

"It was made really clear to Steve, he’s a contracted player, we really respect that, we really respect Steve, and if he comes back in, we expect a big year from him.”

Dees’ focus

“There’s been a lot of change at the club club. We've got a new coach, Stephen King, a new CEO, Paul Guerra, an incoming new president in Steve Smith to take over from [Brad] Green," Lamb said. 

“We've got an exciting young list blended with some obviously established superstars of our club. The future is really bright for us, it's really exciting, and whatever we're doing now is trying to set the Melbourne Football Club up for the next premiership.

“Whatever decisions we make over the next ten days, that's our sole focus and we'll do anything that we can that's in the best interest of the club.”

On Bailey Humphrey

“I can't deny we've got an interest in Bailey," Lamb said. 

“But we fully respect the Gold Coast's position in that Bailey is contracted and Craig has been quite clear on that."

On Max Heath

“Max is a player of interest. We need a succession plan for Gawny," Lamb said. 

“Max is definitely a player of interest, he’s 22 years old, 204 centimeters, big aggressive guy, so that's something we hope to bring in.”

On Judd McVee

“We've provided a great opportunity for Judd to play AFL footy and develop his craft further," Lamb said. 

“We're disappointed with [his decision], we’ve been trying to re-contact Judd since the middle of last year, we've offered a number of different contracts. All we've done is help Judd develop as a footballer and a person.”