Melbourne have told vice-captain Jack Viney to look for a new club despite the tough midfielder having two years to run on his contract.
Viney managed just one match this season — the wildcard final loss to Carlton — after undergoing surgery on his Achilles in February.
The 32-year-old gathered 13 touches and laid four tackles from just under 50 per cent game time.
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But despite making his return to the field, Viney, who is the son of club great Todd, was told in his exit meeting to explore his options.
The two-time best and fairest winner is contracted at the club until the end of 2028 after inking an extension at the end of 2024.
7NEWS reporter Xander McGuire revealed tensions between Viney and the club began to rise late in the year as his return to the field drew closer.
Viney would be the third big-name Demon to depart the club in the space of 12 months after contracted pair Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca were traded out last year.
Melbourne showed this year they didn’t miss the starting midfield from their 2021 grand final side as they won 15 games to finish a surprising seventh in Steven King’s first season in charge.
The Demons brought in Jack Steele from St Kilda last year, while Tom Sparrow enjoyed a breakout season to help fill the void.
Kysaiah Pickett has also taken on a bigger role through the midfield and youngsters Caleb Windsor, Harvey Langford and Joel Fitzgerald have all played their part.
Last week, the Demons revealed their first wave of list changes with untried father-son Kalani White, Jack Henderson, Aidan Johnson, Andy Moniz-Wakefield and Riley Onley all axed.
