- Clayton Oliver was poor against Richmond at MCG
- Performance on Thursday was heavily scrutinised
- Midfielder has battled problems away from footy
AFL greats Kane Cornes and Nick Riewoldt have slammed Melbourne Demons star Clayton Oliver, labelling the midfielder a ‘liability’ before questioning his desire.
Simon Goodwin’s men won by 20 points against Richmond – but Oliver was behind the pace early on at the MCG on Thursday night.
The 27-year-old only collected five disposals in the first half, spending most of the time on the bench in both quarters.
Oliver finished with 22 disposals and seven clearances to his name, but it didn’t stop Riewoldt from suggesting the inside midfielder could soon be axed to the VFL.
‘For a guy who’s reached really high, highs throughout the course of his career, this is a serious slump that he finds himself in,’ he said.
‘The game has gone so past players that get the footy and just wanna bomb kick it.’
AFL greats Kane Cornes and Nick Riewoldt have slammed Melbourne Demons star Clayton Oliver, labelling the midfielder (pictured) a ‘liability’ before questioning his desire
Riewoldt suggested the inside midfielder, who has endured off-field struggles in recent years, could be axed to the VFL
Cornes declared Oliver is actually a hindrance for the Demons as he is being targeted by their opposition
Cornes went a step further, adamant Oliver is actually a weakness for his team.
‘He really has no-one else to blame but himself. I don’t think they can trust him in terms of his physical output,’ he said.
‘He’s going to have to find a way to get fitter and cover the ground more freely.
‘Right now he’s a liability for this team, not only with what he gets with the footy, but the way the opposition can expose him the other way.’
Riewoldt agreed and felt playing as a forward is the answer for Oliver, who is clearly a very different player from the one who won a premiership with Melbourne in 2021.
‘He’s been playing a certain way for a long period of time. He’s never been a guy that bought in defensively, and you wonder whether that’s starting to catch up,’ he said.
‘The Melbourne coaches and Melbourne system has lost patience and if he’s not getting the footy and if he’s not winning the footy, then what value is he actually providing?
‘I think they have to find a role for him, maybe they can play him as a forward.’
