Collingwood's silence on the Adam Treloar contract situation has finally been broken after coach Nathan Buckley refuted a report on Monday.
It's understood the Pies are willing to offload the 27-year-old, who is contracted on big money until the end of 2025.
The star onballer's partner, Australian netballer Kim Ravaillion, signed a deal with Queensland Firebirds, though Treloar was happy to remain in Melbourne and continue playing for Collingwood.
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A report by Sam Edmund on Monday said Buckley had spoken with Treloar on the phone recently, informing him senior players were no longer happy to play with him.
"Last week Nathan Buckley had a phone conversation with Adam Treloar. He told him that the senior core of the group didn't want him around anymore. I would find it staggering (if the players wanted him out), he is very popular in that group"
— AFL Trade Radio (@traderadio) November 2, 2020
- Sam Edmund#AFLTrade
Edmund added that, despite Collingwood's desire to move him on, Treloar was keen to stay at the club.
Following the reports, Buckley took to Twitter in an attempt to hose down the speculation.
"'Absolute fact'...news to me Sam," Buckley wrote.
"The constant rumour and innuendo is disrespectful to Adam, the club and our supporters.
"We’ll continue to communicate directly and sensitively with Adz and his management.
"FYI, our leaders don’t sit on list management, it’s not their job."
“Absolute fact”...news to me Sam.
— Nathan Buckley (@ncb_cfc) November 2, 2020
The constant rumour and innuendo is disrespectful to Adam, the club and our supporters.
We’ll continue to communicate directly and sensitively with Adz and his management.
FYI, our leaders don’t sit on list management, it’s not their job.
For his part, Edmund spoke on SEN shortly after Buckley's tweet, sticking by his story.
"I double-checked and triple-checked the messaging and everything around it to make sure I was 150 per cent sure," Edmund said.
"And even then, such is the explosive nature of it, I was reluctant and thought 'is this even worth the grief that's going to come back the other way?'
"I am rock-solid comfortable with that version of events.
"And that is, that Nathan Buckley last week told Adam Treloar by phone that Collingwood's senior players or a group thereof didn't want him in the side next year.
"Adam Treloar is extremely popular at Colingwood... I can tell you that conversation absolutely took place."
The Magpies have copped plenty of criticism for their handling of the situation, particularly after signing Treloar to a long-term deal just a year ago.
Speaking on Trade Radio last week, Kane Cornes labelled their treatment of the midfielder "disgraceful."
"The treatment of the player is bordering on disgraceful when you look at the way it has been done," Cornes said.
"There’s been no one from the club that has come out and spoken on this and if this was untrue, you’d think the Collingwood Football Club would be jumping on the front foot or even ringing us and saying 'this is incorrect, Adam Treloar is a valued member of the team and we want him' - we haven’t heard anything.
"Not one person from the club has spoken on Treloar’s future, so the way that we’re treating him is really disgraceful."
Treloar has played 173 AFL games, 94 with Collingwood since joining from GWS at the end of 2015
