Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca admits he feared his midfield partner Clayton Oliver would leave the Demons during a turbulent AFL off-season.
As Oliver struggled with personal issues, Melbourne considered moving on their four-time best-and-fairest winner in what was the bombshell storyline of the October trade period.
But Oliver, who is contracted at the Demons until 2030, stayed put and was able to get himself physically and mentally ready to play in Melbourne's opening-round clash with Sydney last Thursday night.
"I'm not going to lie, yeah I think so," Petracca told SEN when asked if he thought Oliver was set to play for a new club.
"As a close friend you worry about those things.
"The biggest thing I've learnt is that we're all human beings and we all make mistakes and we all stuff up, whether it's big or small.
"People have just got stuff going on in their lives.
"The biggest thing I've learnt as a friend and as a teammate is the power of forgiveness. We just need to forgive."
Despite enduring an interrupted pre-season, Oliver still collected 30 possessions and six clearances in the loss against the Swans.
The 26-year-old will loom large as the Dees attempt to rebound on Sunday when they face the Western Bulldogs, who boast a powerful midfield, at the MCG.
"The best version of Clayton isn't just the player he is on the football field, he's just a great person off it and I'm starting to see that again over the lasts or seven weeks," Petracca said.
"Obviously he's going to be a little bit rusty but he's done a mountain of work over the last nine or 10 weeks to get himself back in condition."
