Clayton Oliver has departed Melbourne’s training camp in Lorne to deal with personal medical challenges, according to Mitch Cleary.
It has been a tough few months for the star midfielder, who was linked to a move in the trade period, following an ultimatum put to him by the Demons regarding his behaviour.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin told SEN in October that Oliver was dealing with complex personal health issues that affected his behaviour.
“Clayton Oliver has got some personal challenges and that’s the best way we can describe it. It’s a very complex situation that we’ve got going on with Clayton and clearly those challenges have been ongoing for multiple years,” Goodwin said.
“This isn’t something that has just reared its head in recent times. This is something that has been ongoing for our footy club and our team for a number of years.
“We’re working incredibly closely with Clayton right now and building the best people around him and putting care around him to deal with his complex personal issues.”
Club CEO Gary Pert elaborated on the tough conversations the club had with Oliver during the trade period.
“What Clayton needs to be really clear on is that we now have some minimum standards of behaviour that we want him to adhere to,” Goodwin continued.
“And if he can’t come along with our culture, there will be some consequences that come with that and we need to be in a position where we can drive our high-performance culture and Clayton is a big part of that.
“Teams that have great clarity on culture and team behaviours ultimately have success and there’s no individual that’s above that and we’re going to build that around Clayton.”
The Dees have spent the week in Lorne ahead of the Christmas break.
Oliver will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court in January after being pulled over for driving with a suspended licence.
More to come.