Jay Clark in the Triple M studio and Clayton Oliver on field for Melboure. Jay has expanded on Oliver nearly being put up for trade.
Triple M Footy news breaker Jay Clark took us deep inside the story that broke during the week about Melbourne considering trading Clayton Oliver.
“Melbourne has been frustrated with some inconsistencies — his attitude, his professionalism, and preparation,” Jay said on Dead Set Legends.
“Now we have to also add a very big asterisk in a sense, because he has some personal issues, Clayton Oliver, that he has, over the past eight years, had a lot of support from the football club to try and overcome.
“They have wrapped their arms around him, and in one sense it’s an extraordinary achievement that he’s been able to hit the heights that he has.
“He’s on the of the best players in the competition, and on his day he’s just about the number one.”
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Jay said that the Melbourne hierarchy eventually lost patience with Oliver’s behaviour, however.
“It got to a point where Simon Goodwin, Alan Richardson and Gary Pert said ‘Clayton, you need to meet us halfway here’,” Jay said.
“We need some improvement in these areas.
“Initially he was like ‘hmm, not sure’, so Melbourne have private discussions, ‘right, what happens if he doesn’t want to come to these standards?’.
“Are we looking at trading him, can we get the number one pick?
“If we can get Harley Reid… would that be fair compensation if he doesn’t want to row the boat like everyone else does?”
Jay said Melbourne fielded a huge amount of interest in the four time best and fairest.
“I’m told the Melbourne phones ran off the hook for three days… Adelaide was the one that was the front runner, because Darren Burgess is the fitness chief,” he said.
“I think Essendon was a front runner [as well].”
Jay-Z also explained some of the issues Oliver faces.
“Clayton Oliver has genuine trouble sleeping,” he said.
“I think he finds it really hard to have a full night’s sleep.
“So if he comes to the footy club looking a bit disheveled, it’s not because he’s had a big night on the sauce, it’s because potentially he hasn’t slept.
“So that’s the kind of thing we’re dealing with here.”
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Joey Montagna said that this moment could be the making of Oliver into an even better player.
“Think about the upside”, Joey said.
“If this is what his life’s been like off the field and he’s done what he’s done, imagine what he can get to… I think this is really positive for Melbourne if they could get a better version of Clayton Oliver for the next seven years.”
Jay said that eventually it was Alan Richardson, a huge advocate of Oliver’s, who was influential in the Demon champion’s decision to stay on.
“In the end it was Alan Richardson, who plays a role in Clayton Oliver’s life… Richo mows his lawns potentially, it’s that sort of level,” he said.
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