Melbourne premiership defender Jake Lever has been floated as a potential trade “watch” on the back of a brief period of frustration with Simon Goodwin and the club.
The 29-year-old was reportedly left blindsided after being axed ahead of the Dees Round 16 loss to the Gold Coast Suns, a move that caused a momentary rift between the two parties in recent weeks.
“What I can tell you about Jake Lever is that he was so angry when he got dropped,” Channel 9 journalist Tom Morris said on Footy Classified.
“He felt he was blindsided, as a result he felt he was disrespected. He’s not the only player that’s going to be frustrated and angry when they get dropped.
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“But for a senior player to feel this way, other clubs believe this is a watch now in this year’s trade period.”
Lever, who had previously missed games between Round 3 and Round 10 through injury, was initially caught off guard by the move despite struggling for form on the back of minor ankle surgery in early April.
Morris reports that cooler heads have prevailed and that “there is no suggestion of any lingering unrest” at the club. But with the Dees sitting 14th and staring down the thought of a mini rebuild, the former All-Australian remains a hot name to keep an eye on ahead of the upcoming trade window.
"He felt he was blindsided, as a result he felt he was disrespected."@tommorris32 believes rival clubs are monitoring the Jake Lever situation at Melbourne, after his 'angry' reaction to being dropped recently. #9FootyClassified | Watch on Nine & 9Now 🖥️ pic.twitter.com/AGqaDOXFVx
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) July 8, 2025
“He’s contracted until the end of 2028. Rival clubs are aware of how frustrated he was and how angry he was, and they’re just keeping an eye on it now,” Morris went on to say.
Lever returned last week to face the Adelaide Crows in Melbourne’s 13-point loss, finishing with less than 15 touches for the sixth consecutive game.
Sitting exactly 20 points adrift from the eight now in the midst of a five-game losing streak, Lever figures to play a crucial role this Sunday in a must-win game against feisty North Melbourne.