Player Watch #13 Clayton Oliver – UNPRECEDENTED 4 x B&F, 3 x AA, 2 x AFLCA Winner and Premiership Player

Can't remember who said it in the game day thread but they were spot on, teams lay off him now and just guard players around him now knowing he'll handball to one of them and put them under pressure.

His lack of creativity that he once had is long gone. He's become predictably vanilla in almost every way.

His kicking is under 13 s**t honestly. Just bang it forward and hope for the best.
 

Pedantic

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Watch his under 18 highlights from the first post in this thread. When he had even an inch of space he was looking to get forwards and take a smart option by foot, even taking some of the most unco bounces you would ever see at a few points. When was the last time you saw him try and take the game on? Our coaches have ruined him, his first instinct now is to look for a handball option behind him and he's not alone in that mindset.
 

Topkent

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Champion data has him rated as the 8th worst kick in the AFL. We concede more from his kicks than we score this year.

He's ranked poor in these categories
One percenters
Effective kicks
Kick efficiency
Kick to handball ratio
Score involvements

We've managed to turn him from the most promising Melbourne mid I've ever seen to an innefectual stat padding crab in 26 games.
 

The Dr

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Champion data has him rated as the 8th worst kick in the AFL. We concede more from his kicks than we score this year.

He's ranked poor in these categories
One percenters
Effective kicks
Kick efficiency
Kick to handball ratio
Score involvements

We've managed to turn him from the most promising Melbourne mid I've ever seen to an innefectual stat padding crab in 26 games.

Surprised he lasted 26 games with us before turning to s**t tbh


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Topkent

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I remember his first season. Swooping on loose balls with the cleanest hands you'll ever see and releasing to running player in the same motion. Is it possible his performance has suffered because of the lack of options around him?

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No. He has to take responsibility
Petracca has managed to look classy and create goals. Oliver's become a panic merchant.
 
I remember his first season. Swooping on loose balls with the cleanest hands you'll ever see and releasing to running player in the same motion. Is it possible his performance has suffered because of the lack of options around him?

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Maybe, but he can also help create options by being more composed/thoughtful with his ball use. It's been a collective shittening by our midfield lately that has us in this mess. They'll all need to up their game to get us out of it.
 

TheBoss

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Oliver dumps the ball as soon as he touches it because he doesn't realise how much time or space he has.

He's probably scared of being pinged for HTB and doesn't want any frees against in his stat sheet.
 
Oliver dumps the ball as soon as he touches it because he doesn't realise how much time or space he has.

He's probably scared of being pinged for HTB and doesn't want any frees against in his stat sheet.
I reckon he has lost his confidence of holding on to the ball for a second longer since he had the double shoulder reco

Seems that he wants to get rid of the ball before being hit whereas in 2017-18 he would take the hit and then hit a target

imo it is a confidence issue and nothing more
 

netslave

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Someone needs to coach him one on one to bring back his kicking. He needs to take a second once he gets the ball to pick out targets and dispose to our advantage, instaed of handballing to disadvantage.
I don't care if he gets pinged for holding the ball, at least it gives us time to man up when the free is paid, rather than turning it over.
 

Topkent

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Having thought about it I'm 100% with A11dAtP0w3R, trade this bloke out at the end of the year and try and nab 2 first rounders. We can move Brayshaw inside and get the same numbers.
I used to think we should trade Brayshaw but getting kick 25 for him doesn't help us anyway.
Trade Oliver. Keep Viney and Brayshaw as the inside dogs and let Petracca dominate.

2 firsts are needed to regenerate this side.
 
Having thought about it I'm 100% with A11dAtP0w3R, trade this bloke out at the end of the year and try and nab 2 first rounders. We can move Brayshaw inside and get the same numbers.
I used to think we should trade Brayshaw but getting kick 25 for him doesn't help us anyway.
Trade Oliver. Keep Viney and Brayshaw as the inside dogs and let Petracca dominate.

2 firsts are needed to regenerate this side.

Exactly ;)

We honestly wouldn't be losing as much as people think. And gaining a shitload more.
 

Topkent

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Exactly ;)

We honestly wouldn't be losing as much as people think. And gaining a shitload more.
We lose 25 handballs a game. Brayshaw actually kicked some goals in 18 when he was inside. * he might even improve us.
People always think that losing a player makes you worse but it can make you better. I bet no Oliver means that Viney and Brayshaw have better seasons
 
We lose 25 handballs a game. Brayshaw actually kicked some goals in 18 when he was inside. fu** he might even improve us.
People always think that losing a player makes you worse but it can make you better. I bet no Oliver means that Viney and Brayshaw have better seasons

If you were a team in need of an inside player Oliver would be a good pick up, but to us he's excess, excess that we can use to get far better in other areas of weakness quickly.
 

Topkent

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If you were a team in need of an inside player Oliver would be a good pick up, but to us he's excess, excess that we can use to get far better in other areas of weakness quickly.
Yeah and look at WC, Richmond and GWS.

WC don't have any inside only beasts, Tigers have Martin who is better used on the outside and forward, and compliment him with Prestia and Cotchin playing selfless roles, GWS have Ward and Taranto, mixed with Coniglio and Kelly.

Trading him to Essendon would be the best for both sides
 

HANDSOLO

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Yeah and look at WC, Richmond and GWS.

WC don't have any inside only beasts, Tigers have Martin who is better used on the outside and forward, and compliment him with Prestia and Cotchin playing selfless roles, GWS have Ward and Taranto, mixed with Coniglio and Kelly.

Trading him to Essendon would be the best for both sides

As long as it is not for Daniher only
 

AjsGuns

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Dogs would love Oliver, shocked you all seem to want him gone? at the end of 2019 I would have thought he was your most valuable player (Trac hadn'tbroke out and Gawn is obviously 28). I think he will come good and be a multiple AA/top 10 midfielder for years - from an outsiders perspective. Not sure why his kicking is so s**t this season, have taken my cousins to open training sessions (mad Melb fans) and he makes 60m darts lace out, just isn't replicating it in games atm.
 

Topkent

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Dogs would love Oliver, shocked you all seem to want him gone? at the end of 2019 I would have thought he was your most valuable player (Trac hadn'tbroke out and Gawn is obviously 28). I think he will come good and be a multiple AA/top 10 midfielder for years - from an outsiders perspective. Not sure why his kicking is so sh*t this season, have taken my cousins to open training sessions (mad Melb fans) and he makes 60m darts lace out, just isn't replicating it in games atm.
Who cares if he makes multiple AA. His only value is as an inside mid and we have Petracca, Viney, Brayshaw and Harmes already as AFL quality inside mids. You don't need that many. Oliver might get amazing stats but he doesn't make us a better side.
If you wanna cough up 2 firsts he's all yours. And I have that power.
 
Dogs would love Oliver, shocked you all seem to want him gone? at the end of 2019 I would have thought he was your most valuable player (Trac hadn'tbroke out and Gawn is obviously 28). I think he will come good and be a multiple AA/top 10 midfielder for years - from an outsiders perspective. Not sure why his kicking is so sh*t this season, have taken my cousins to open training sessions (mad Melb fans) and he makes 60m darts lace out, just isn't replicating it in games atm.
We don't all want him gone - just a few people. There's literally no chance at all that our 22 y/o 2x BnF winner leaves. Would be a horrendous move both on-field and culturally.
 

Topkent

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Oh yeah I remember when port traded their 2xAA bnf winner who achieved it all by 22. They culture. Collapsed
 

stEdy

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Except every coach says Clayton is the hardest worker at the club and sets the bar for training standards.

Wingard was seemingly the opposite. Didn't train hard enough and needed a change of scenery as he was stinking the place up.

Oliver is where Trac was 2 years ago. Flaws in his game, highly talented, young and sometimes is trying too hard to make it all click.

Trac needed to get super fit. Oliver needs to get his confidence back. I think it's fixable.
 
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