Clayton Oliver

Last updated

Clayton Oliver
Clayton Oliver 2019.4.jpg
Oliver in July 2019
Personal information
Full name Clayton Michael Oliver
Nickname(s) Clarry
Date of birth (1997-07-22) 22 July 1997 (age 26)
Original team(s) Murray Bushrangers (TAC Cup)/Mooroopna Football Club
Draft No. 4, 2015 national draft
Debut Round 1, 2016, Melbourne  vs. Greater Western Sydney, at MCG
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Melbourne
Number 13
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2016– Melbourne 161 (51)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of elimination final, 2023.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Clayton Oliver (born 22 July 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, 1.89 metres (6 ft 2 in) tall and weighing 87 kilograms (192 lb), Oliver is known for his capabilities on the inside due to his handball and clearance work. He was a late bloomer in his junior career, where he struggled to play in the TAC Cup in 2014 and he missed selection in the 2015 AFL Under 18 Championships. After playing with the Murray Bushrangers in 2015, his achievements included best and fairest wins for the league and the Murray Bushrangers, which resulted in Melbourne drafting him with the fourth selection in the 2015 AFL draft. He made his debut in the 2016 season, which garnered a Rising Star nomination. After his second season in the AFL, he was adjudged the best young player by the AFL coaches.

Contents

Early life

As a child, Oliver started supporting the Brisbane Lions during their premiership years in the early 2000s. [1]

He played for the Mooroopna Football Club senior side in the Goulburn Valley Football League in 2014 [2] and he was awarded the Rising Star in the league, [3] in the same season, he struggled to play in the Bendigo Pioneers side in the TAC Cup, playing only three matches. [4] He moved to Mooroopna from Echuca in 2015 to be closer to his school, Goulburn Valley Grammar School in Shepparton for year 12, [4] he was then encouraged to join the Murray Bushrangers for the 2015 TAC Cup season. [5] He missed out on selection for the 2015 AFL Under 18 Championships for Victoria Country after suffering from osteitis pubis, [6] and after a slow start to the TAC Cup season, it was predicted he would be unlikely to be drafted in the 2015 AFL draft. [7] His initial plans were to study radiography at university from 2016 and then earn his AFL draft chance through the Victorian Football League (VFL). [4]

In July, Oliver was selected to play for the Richmond Football Club's VFL side, [8] and after playing two matches for them, his TAC Cup form drastically improved. [7] He was adjudged the best and fairest player in the TAC Cup by winning the Morrish Medal, where he received fourteen votes in the final nine rounds, and finished with fifteen in total, one vote ahead of Eastern Ranges forward, Darcy Crocker and Northern Knights midfielder, Jade Gresham, [9] in addition, he was named on the interchange in the TAC Cup team of the year. [10] He also won the John Byrne Medal as the Murray Bushrangers best and fairest player, finishing eight votes ahead of Murray Waite. [11] After winning the Morrish Medal and John Byrne Medal, he was predicted to be drafted inside the top twenty-five of the draft. [2] [12] He was invited to the national draft combine, [13] where he performed well in the agility test, 20-metre time trial, and three kilometre time trial, which elevated his draft chances to inside the top ten. [6] In the weeks leading to the draft, he was labelled as the "draft bolter" [14] [15] [16] [17] and after the Melbourne Football Club showed strong interest in him, [7] he was predicted to be drafted inside the top five in the days leading to the draft. [18] [19] [20]

AFL career

Oliver playing for Melbourne in the 2017 JLT Community Series Clayton Oliver 18.02.17 (In-Game).jpg
Oliver playing for Melbourne in the 2017 JLT Community Series

After the Melbourne Football Club unsuccessfully bid pick three in the 2015 national draft on Callum Mills, Oliver was recruited by them with their first selection and fourth overall. [21] He was predicted by Fox Footy as one of the draftees who would have an immediate impact in the 2016 season, [22] and after playing well in the 2016 NAB Challenge, [23] [24] he made his debut in the two-point win against Greater Western Sydney at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Round 1. [25] He was highly praised during his debut match [26] [27] [28] where he recorded twenty-two disposals, with fifteen of them contested, and seven clearances from 58 percent game-time, [29] and it was labelled as one of the best debuts in the previous fifteen years by Fox Sports Australia journalist Tiarne Swersky. [30]

At the end of the first half, Oliver had seventeen disposals and led the contested possession and clearance count with eleven and five, respectively; his first half was described by 1988 Brownlow Medallist, Gerard Healy, as "one of the best debut halves [he'd] seen" and former Essendon player Scott Lucas labelled him as the "real deal". [31] Furthermore, his debut match was rewarded with the round nomination for the Rising Star [32] and he became the equal favourite at the time for the Rising Star alongside Sydney defender and eventual winner, Callum Mills. [33] He also received two Brownlow votes, indicating he was judged as the second-best player on the ground by the field umpires. [34] He played the next three matches, which saw him praised within the industry along with comparisons to a former St Kilda player, Lenny Hayes, [35] before being rested for the ANZAC Day eve match against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Round 5. [36] He played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions, the next week before returning to the senior side for the 73-point win against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in Round 7. [37]

Oliver played the next five out of six matches, missing the 45-point loss against Port Adelaide at TIO Traeger Park in Round 10 due to a corked quad, [38] before being dropped for the Round 15 match against Adelaide at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. [39] He returned to the AFL side for the 29-point win against Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Round 20 [40] in which he was praised for his toughness and ability to bounce back from a Cyril Rioli bump in the first quarter, [41] whereby Rioli received a fine from the match review panel. [42] He played the next two matches before missing the last match of the season against Geelong at Simonds Stadium. [43] He then returned to Casey for the VFL finals, including playing in the grand final loss against Footscray at Etihad Stadium. [44] He finished the AFL season with thirteen matches, which resulted in an eighth-place finish in the Rising Star, [45] and consequently only finished 20th in Melbourne's best and fairest count. [46]

During the off-season break after the 2016 season, Oliver failed a roadside random breath test whereby probationary (P-plate) drivers require zero blood alcohol content; he escaped club suspension, but he was fined an undisclosed amount. [47] He lost five kilograms during pre-season training in which he credited his drink driving charge as a key driver behind wanting to improve his training standards. [48] His drive during the pre-season drew public praise from his teammates including Aaron vandenBerg [49] and Tom McDonald, [50] and Melbourne's development and strategy coach, Brendan McCartney, who all stated they believed Oliver was the player to watch for the 2017 season, as he could take his "game to new heights." [51] Furthermore, former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon nominated Oliver as the player who could surpass all of his teammates in the future to become the club's best player by stating on SEN Breakfast : "they've got a great group of youngsters coming through ... and there's a boy called Clayton Oliver who I think is going to be better than all of them ... this guy is so good and clean in tight that I don't think most people—and I'm not putting him down—but unless you take a particular interest in the kid, you can't see how good he is." [52]

Oliver played in the opening round of the season in the 38-point win against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in which he recorded 36 disposals, fourteen contested possessions, eleven tackles and nine clearances, and was named "clearly the best player on the ground" by Fox Sports Australia journalist Anna Harrington [53] and AFL Media reporter Ben Guthrie. [54] His performance in the match saw him compared with 1996 Brownlow Medallist and three-time premiership captain Michael Voss. [55] In addition, his athletic style led to Melbourne's strength and conditioning coach, Rob Jackson, comparing Oliver with the Australian, Queensland and Melbourne Storm rugby league captain Cameron Smith—whom Jackson had also worked with—by noting neither were the fastest or the strongest, but were unbelievable. [56]

Oliver handballing during the round 13, 2017 match against the Western Bulldogs Clayton Oliver handballing.jpg
Oliver handballing during the round 13, 2017 match against the Western Bulldogs

Oliver continued his strong performances throughout the start of the season, and, by a third of the way through, he was being talked about as a potential Brownlow Medal winner. Jay Clark of the Herald Sun wrote it could be one of the "biggest Brownlow Medal boilovers of all time" and he could become the fourth-youngest Brownlow Medallist of all time (20 years and 65 days) if his extraordinary form continued. [57] After Round 8, he was leading player of the year votes for The Age and 3AW [58] and was sitting third in the AFL Coaches Association player of the year award. [59] He was named in unofficial mid-year All-Australian teams by Mark Robinson [60] and AFL Media [61] and was named the tenth-best midfielder in the league by Wayne Carey. [62] Furthermore, Melbourne's captain at the time, Nathan Jones, said Oliver was the best young talent he had seen in his eleven to twelve years of playing AFL football. [63]

The second half of the season saw Oliver face public furore after he was involved in separate on-field incidents. At the half-time break of the Round 14 match against West Coast, he was hit by West Coast's Will Schofield in which Schofield was immediately reported and consequently charged by the match review panel for striking. [64] Oliver was publicly criticised by fans for "staging" and "diving". Former Australian Test cricketer Damien Martyn tweeted: "am I watching soccer???" in relation to the incident, to which Oliver responded on Twitter: "hey Damien, you should just worry about that shot in 1994. #amiwatchingachoker" in reference to a batting shot against South Africa in the 1994 Sydney Test match which eventually saw Australia narrowly losing to South Africa; Oliver had not even been born when the incident occurred. [65] Former Richmond player Matthew Richardson publicly defended Oliver amid claims he was a stager by saying: "Unless you're the one who's received that contact, how do you really know [how hard the hit was] ... he seems like a straight-up, honest kid". [66] Schofield successfully appealed the original charge after arguing that while "he intended to strike Oliver and hit him with his forearm to the chin, the contact was so negligible it was not sufficient for a report". [67] Two weeks later during the Round 16 match against Carlton, Oliver confronted a Carlton supporter who was sitting in the front row of the Melbourne Cricket Ground after the supporter had yelled something at him over the fence. [68] He was publicly condemned by former players, including Leigh Matthews and Nick Dal Santo, who stated players needed to ignore the crowd during matches and not confront them. [69] [70]

Oliver played every match for the 2017 season. At the conclusion of the home-and-away season, he recorded the most handballs by any player in the league, and the all-time record for most handballs in a season. He was also ranked second for contested possessions, third for clearances, fourth for tackles and fifth for total disposals. [71] He was voted the best young player by the AFL Coaches Association when he polled 72 votes in the AFL Coaches Association best young player award, 34 votes clear of Sam Menegola, who finished second; this was in addition to finishing seventh in the AFL Coaches Association champion player of the year award. [72] He was one of three Melbourne players nominated for the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL Players Association most valuable player [73] and was named in the centre midfield position in the 22under22 team. [74] He was rewarded with the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy as Melbourne's best and fairest player when he polled 530 votes—184 ahead of Jack Viney, who placed second in the award—and received votes in every match for the season. [71] He also won the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy as Melbourne's best young player and the James McDonald Trophy for the heart and spirit award. [75] Despite his accolades for the season, he failed to make the initial forty man squad for the All-Australian team with multiple media outlets including AFL Media, The Advertiser and Fox Sports Australia claiming he was one of, if not the most unlucky player to miss the All-Australian squad. [76] [77] [78]

The 2018 AFL Season saw Oliver take his game to another level—he played 25 games and impacted the scoreboard by kicking 12 goals for the season. The Demons won 16 games and made it to the preliminary final but were defeated by the eventual premiers, the West Coast Eagles. Oliver had a total of 734 disposals, 168 tackles and 405 contested possessions; his excellent season saw him selected for his first All Australian Team, where he was selected on the interchange. He eventually finished second in the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal behind fellow All-Australian teammate Max Gawn. The 2019 AFL Season saw Oliver's impact slightly decline, as well as the Demons only managing to win 5 games for the season. Oliver managed to only kick 4 goals for the season and was seen to over-handball the football rather than kick the ball to his teammates advantage; he was still extremely consistent numbers-wise, averaging a career-high 30 disposals per game and polling 12 Brownlow Votes despite being in a losing side most weeks. He was rewarded with his consistent season by winning his second Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal, tying with his teammate Max Gawn on 464 total votes.

Statistics

Updated to the end of round 13, 2023. [34]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals  
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds  
  H  
 Handballs  
  M  
 Marks
  #  
Played in that season's 
premiership team
  †  
Led the league for 
the season
SeasonTeamNo.GamesTotalsAverages (per game) Votes
GBKHDMTGBKHDMT
2016 Melbourne 1313627617425025620.50.25.913.419.21.94.83
2017 Melbourne 132243177482†659681520.20.18.121.9†30.03.16.912
2018 Melbourne 13251211262472†734871680.50.410.518.929.43.56.713
2019 Melbourne 132244248413661821390.20.211.318.830.03.76.312
2020 [lower-alpha 1] Melbourne 13173119523042557920.20.111.513.525.03.45.414
2021 # Melbourne 13251118358431789891360.40.714.317.231.63.65.431
2022 Melbourne 132358344409†753†821260.20.315.017.832.73.65.525
2023 Melbourne 131562224230454631010.40.114.915.330.34.26.7
Career16251491884284147255539760.30.311.617.529.23.46.0110

Notes

  1. ↑ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

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The Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player(s) adjudged the best and fairest at the Melbourne Football Club throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) season. The Melbourne Football Club was established in 1858 and was a foundation member of the Victorian Football Association, playing in the league from 1877 to 1896. After the formation of the Victorian Football League in 1896, Melbourne joined the league as a foundation club the next year and has competed in the league ever since. The inaugural Melbourne best and fairest winner was Allan La Fontaine in 1935, and he retained it the following season. The award was known as the Melbourne best and fairest until it was renamed in 1943 in honour of Keith 'Bluey' Truscott, a former dual premiership player and World War II fighter ace killed in service in 1943.

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References

  1. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "2015 AFL National Draft (24 Nov 2015)". YouTube .
  2. 1 2 Twomey, Callum (9 October 2015). "Oliver keen for more after Morrish Medal success". AFL.com.au. Bigpond . Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "2015 AFL draft: combine harvester: Small and medium forwards". The Age . Fairfax Media. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Cahill, Georgina (20 November 2015). "Murray Bushranger Clayton Oliver wanted to be a radiographer at the start of this year. His plans soon changed when AFL clubs started calling". Shepparton News. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Twomey, Callum (9 November 2015). "15 days to the draft: Meet Morrish medallist and elite user Clayton Oliver". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 Twomey, Callum (31 October 2015). "Morrish medallist Clayton Oliver adds top-10 twist". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Baldwin, Adam (25 November 2015). "AFL draft 2015: Melbourne considers Clayton Oliver with first pick, plays like Ollie Wines". Fox Sports (Australia) . News Corp Australia . Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Young, Chris (21 July 2015). "Young state league stars". The Border Mail . Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  9. ↑ Twomey, Callum (13 September 2015). "Draft bolter Clayton Oliver clinches Morrish Medal". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "TAC Cup Team of the Year". TACCup.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Clayton Oliver wins John Byrne Medal". MurrayBushrangers.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Young, Chris (18 October 2015). "Oliver wins Bushies B&F". The Border Mail . Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Young, Chris (5 August 2015). "Murray Bushrangers invited to 2015 AFL combine". The Border Mail . Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  14. ↑ Landsberger, Sam (21 November 2015). "AFL draft 2015: Sam Landsberger's final word on the first 30 selections". Herald Sun . News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Morris, Tom (24 November 2015). "Is winning the TAC Cup's best and fairest award a poisoned chalice? Draft bolter Clayton Oliver hopes not". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  16. ↑ Landsberger, Sam (24 November 2015). "AFL draft 2015: How Clayton Oliver became this year's bolter after he was snubbed by Vic Country". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  17. ↑ Waterworth, Ben (25 November 2015). "AFL draft 2015: The bolters, sliders and shock picks". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  18. ↑ Landsberger, Sam (24 November 2015). "AFL draft 2015: Sam Landsberger predicts how the top 30 will unfold". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  19. ↑ Quayle, Emma (22 November 2015). "Club-by-club guide to the AFL draft: part 2". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  20. ↑ Twomey, Callum (24 November 2015). "Callum Twomey's 2015 phantom draft". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  21. ↑ Baldwin, Adam (25 November 2015). "AFL draft 2015: Melbourne drafts Clayton Oliver, Sam Weideman". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Olle, Sarah (8 January 2016). "Fox Footy previews six draftees set to have an immediate impact at their clubs in 2016". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  23. ↑ Murnane, Matt (6 March 2016). "NAB Challenge 2016: Melbourne draftee Clayton Oliver ready for round one debut". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  24. ↑ Ralph, Jon (7 March 2016). "Clayton Oliver strengthens claim for Round 1 start in Melbourne's win against Western Bulldogs". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  25. ↑ Harrington, Anna (24 March 2016). "Clayton Oliver to debut in round one". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  26. ↑ Schmook, Nathan (26 March 2016). "Hogan leads late charge as Dees cut down Giants". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  27. ↑ Pierik, Jon (26 March 2016). "Melbourne v Greater Western Sydney: Reborn Demons take a giant leap". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  28. ↑ McFarlane, Glenn (26 March 2016). "AFL 2016: Melbourne defeats GWS Giants by 2 points at the MCG in Round 1". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  29. ↑ Ryan, Peter (26 March 2016). "Five talking points: Melbourne v Greater Western Sydney". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  30. ↑ Swersky, Tiarne (20 May 2016). "The AFL's best debuts of the last 15 years, including Andrew Walker, Dean Polo, Dale Thomas". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  31. ↑ Baldwin, Adam (26 March 2016). "Clayton Oliver debut puts young midfielder straight into Rising Star contention". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  32. ↑ Di Giorgio, Giulio (28 March 2016). "Demon Oliver delivers on pre-season promise to earn Rising Star nod". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  33. ↑ Gardiner, Gilbert (29 March 2016). "AFL premiership odds, Brownlow and Rising Star betting markets". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  34. 1 2 "Clayton Oliver". AFL Tables. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  35. ↑ Clark, Jay (13 May 2016). "Clayton Oliver has all the hallmarks of a future champion just five games into his career". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  36. ↑ "Round 5 AFL teams: Every club's ins, outs and selected side for this weekend's games". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  37. ↑ Malcolm, Alex; Bowen, Nick (6 May 2016). "TEAMS: Wingard confirmed, Lions drop Rising Star". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  38. ↑ Schmook, Nathan (27 May 2016). "AFL teams: the ins and outs for round 10". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  39. ↑ King, Travis; Navaratnam, Dinny (1 July 2016). "Demons dump Trengove, Crows stick to winning formula". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  40. ↑ Burgan, Matt (4 August 2016). "Three changes for Hawthorn clash". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  41. ↑ Burgan, Matt (8 August 2016). "Skipper praises Weideman, Oliver". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  42. ↑ Schmook, Nathan (8 August 2016). "MRP: Star Hawk Mitchell in the clear, but teammates charged". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  43. ↑ King, Travis (26 August 2016). "TEAMS: Fitzy gets nod for Hawks, no farewell for Macaffer". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  44. ↑ "Casey Scorpions Grand Final team". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  45. ↑ Navaratnam, Dinny (23 September 2016). "Swans defender Mills wins Rising Star". AFL.com.au. Bigpond.
  46. ↑ Burgan, Matt (6 September 2016). "Viney edges Jones to win first 'Bluey'". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  47. ↑ Guthrie, Ben (7 December 2016). "Demons mid avoids suspension despite drink driving charge". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  48. ↑ Miller, Dale (11 March 2017). "Melbourne young gun Clayton Oliver on track for bumper season". The West Australian . Seven West Media . Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  49. ↑ Guthrie, Ben (10 February 2017). "Oliver to shine after tumultuous pre-season". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  50. ↑ Burgan, Matt (16 March 2017). "McDonald around mark for top defenders". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  51. ↑ Clark, Jay (17 March 2017). "Brendan McCartney at peace with exit from Western Bulldogs, helping build Melbourne midfield". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  52. ↑ Waterworth, Ben (31 January 2017). "Clayton Oliver could eventually become Melbourne's best player, says Garry Lyon". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  53. ↑ Harrington, Anna (30 March 2017). "Max Gawn says second-year midfielder Clayton Oliver has elevated his game to a new level". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  54. ↑ Guthrie, Ben (2 April 2017). "Oliver's twist: How the Dees smoothed rough diamond". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  55. ↑ Anderson, Jon (3 April 2017). "The next... sportspeople who never lived up to lofty comparisons". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  56. ↑ Schlink, Leo (11 April 2017). "Clayton Oliver and Joel Smith compared to Storm greats Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  57. ↑ Clark, Jay (4 May 2017). "Clayton Oliver could be in mix to win Brownlow after impressive start to his second season". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  58. ↑ "Brownlow Tracker: Round 8 — Melbourne youngster Clayton Oliver begins to make serious run". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  59. ↑ "AFLCA votes, round eight: Versatile Eagle takes flight". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  60. ↑ Robinson, Mark (3 June 2017). "Mark Robinson picks a few bolters in his mid-year All-Australian team". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  61. ↑ Navaratnam, Dinny (8 June 2017). "Oliver in afl.com.au's All-Australian team". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  62. ↑ "'You're going soft': Wayne Carey top 10 list slammed". News.com.au . News Corp Australia. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  63. ↑ "AFL: Nathan Jones heaps praise on Clayton Oliver; Goddard blasts 'ridiculous' hugging furore". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  64. ↑ Rynne, Nick (26 June 2017). "West Coast Eagle Will Schofield offered one-game ban for striking Melbourne's Clayton Oliver". PerthNow . Seven West Media. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  65. ↑ Morris, Tom (25 June 2017). "Clayton Oliver's bizarre Twitter spat with cricket great Damien Martyn". The West Australian. Seven West Media. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  66. ↑ "Richo backs Clayton Oliver amid accusations of staging". 3AW . 25 June 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  67. ↑ Gleeson, Michael (27 June 2017). "Will Schofield wins tribunal challenge for strike on Clayton Oliver, found not guilty". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  68. ↑ Bowen, Nick; Guthrie, Ben (10 July 2017). "Oliver apologises as AFL probes fan incident". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  69. ↑ "Video: Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver's clash with a Carlton fan at the MCG on Sunday". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  70. ↑ Gardiner, Gilbert; Clark, Jay (10 July 2017). "Clayton Oliver in heated exchange with Carlton supporter at the MCG". PerthNow. Seven West Media. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  71. 1 2 Ben, Guthrie (9 October 2017). "Second-year Demon wins B&F by 184 votes". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  72. ↑ Beveridge, Riley (4 September 2017). "AFLCA Player of the Year 2017: Dustin Martin claims award voted on by AFL coaches". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  73. ↑ "Revealed: AFL Players' Association MVP nominees from every club". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  74. ↑ Lauren, Wood (12 September 2017). "Western Bulldogs young gun Marcus Bontempelli named captain of the 2017 22Under22 team". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  75. ↑ Matt, Burgan (9 October 2017). "Clarry cleans up at best and fairest". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  76. ↑ Marc, McGowan (28 August 2017). "Is this Dee the unluckiest to miss AA selection?". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  77. ↑ "2017 All-Australian squad: The biggest snubs from 40-man squad". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  78. ↑ "Trent Cotchin and Clayton Oliver left out of 40-man All-Australian squad". The Advertiser . News Corp Australia. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
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