LEEK Aleer was "done dirty" by St Kilda, but GWS captain Toby Greene says he's happy to see the young defender remain at the Giants.

Aleer had been pursued by the Saints for well over a year and was left "rattled" after the club backflipped on their plans for a trade deal.

North Melbourne considered making a play for the key defender, before the 24-year-old re-signed with the Giants for two years on a far less lucrative contract than that offered by the Saints.

Aleer had wanted a move to Victoria after struggling to crack into a stacked Giants backline, which boasts the likes of Sam Taylor and Jack Buckley.

The athletic tall has played just 25 games across four seasons since making his debut in 2022.

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon didn't shed light on why the club backflipped on their decision after a chase of well over a year, but denied they had "reneged" on the deal.

The Saints had a busy 2025 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period, saying goodbye to Melbourne-bound former captain Jack Steele and securing Carlton duo Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, Gold Coast midfielder Sam Flanders, and West Coast forward Liam Ryan.

Greene, who was speaking at an Amazon Prime event in Sydney on Friday, said GWS was happy to keep Aleer.

"He was a little bit rattled," Greene said.

"It certainly came as a surprise, and the Saints probably did him dirty a bit, but that's footy as well.

"They had every right to do that. It's the way footy is going, with player movement.

"It helps us, we get him back, and he adds to our team, that's for sure.

"It'll be great having him back at the footy club."

GWS is also set to add Clayton Oliver to their best 22 after the 2021 premiership player was told to look for another club by new Melbourne coach Steven King.

After refusing to trade Oliver to Geelong last year, the Demons will now pay a huge portion of the onballer's contract after trading him to the Giants for a future third-round draft pick.

The 28-year-old was signed to Melbourne until the end of 2030, but has been below his best for the past two seasons as he managed off-field challenges.

GWS are no strangers to helping players reboot their careers, doing so with former Melbourne forward Jesse Hogan and Essendon's Jake Stringer.

Greene said Oliver will live with former Demons teammate Toby Bedford to start his life in Sydney.

"He was obviously a little bit disgruntled at Melbourne last year and has had a few challenges himself, but that's why we want him," Greene said.

"We want to try and get the best out of him. We'll do everything we can to make sure that happens."

Oliver will likely fill the void left by veteran midfielder Josh Kelly, who is expected to miss most of the 2026 season after undergoing hip surgery.

The Giants will also be without exciting small forward Darcy Jones (ACL) and retired club great Callan Ward.