Morris shuts down “cynical” comments surrounding Oliver

Melbourne's Clayton Oliver will miss the Demons' Round 8 clash with West Coast to prioritise his mental and physical wellbeing.

Channel 9 journalist and SEN regular Tom Morris is confident that this is just a blip on Oliver's radar and he will most likely only be sidelined for one week.

Social media has been alight that perhaps there is something more sinister at play given Oliver's mental health history, but Morris has played down that talk.

“The best way that I can describe this is it’s a wellbeing break,” Morris said on SEN Fireball.

“Melbourne hasn’t used the term ‘mental health’. He’s not injured in that he doesn’t have a groin or a knee or an ankle or anything like that.

“There’s a lot of cynical people on social media that seem to suggest that something’s up, there’s not. This is very much Clayton Oliver and the club agreeing that a week off would be the best thing for him.

“He’s worked incredibly hard in the pre-season to get himself back in shape, but it’s going to be a bit of a bumpy road at times. They expect it’s only going to be one week, he’s stayed home, he’s not in Perth.”

Morris moved to allay fears for Dees fans that it could be something bigger.

“I think the main fears that Melbourne fans have is that he’ll seep back into the unprofessional habits he’s had in the past,” Morris added.

“My belief is that is not the case at all. This is not a linear process for him to just all of a sudden be the Clayton Oliver we saw win four best and fairests at his absolute best either.

“I think it’s a small setback, it’s nothing more than that. I’d be surprised if he didn’t play next week.”

Could Oliver’s absence to extend out to two, three or more weeks?

“I still think there are some concerns around from a football perspective,” Morris continued.

“Whether he can get back to his best, whether he’s worth the contract he’s on. I think that’s quite clearly a no at the moment.

“He’s probably aware of that. He’s not a top three or top five midfielder in the game, so yes, if it does get to two, three or five weeks, for sure (there will be worries).

“I think there will be a conversation at the end of the year about the best way forward for Melbourne and him. But at the moment this is just a week off.

“It’s something I chased pretty aggressively yesterday and I’m pretty comfortable to say from a wellbeing perspective they’re looking after him and he’s content with the way the club has handled it as well.”

The Demons' General Manager of Football Performance Alan Richardson released the following statement regarding Oliver on Thursday afternoon.

“Clayton has had a difficult week personally and as such, both he and the club have agreed that it would be best for him not to play against the Eagles on Saturday.

“We expect Clayton to return to the program next week, but as always his mental and physical health will be the priority.

“As an industry, it’s pleasing to see the progress we’ve made in normalising players putting their hand up when they need support.

“The club’s focus is on surrounding Clayton with the care he needs and we ask that his privacy is respected.”

Melbourne take on West Coast this Saturday night at Optus Stadium.