Clayton Oliver's manager in staggering admission over Demons saga
The Melbourne Demons confirmed he would be staying with the club.
Clayton Oliver's manager has revealed their was 'genuine' interest in the Melbourne star's signature amid speculation the 26-year-old could be set to leave the Demons this week. Oliver has been the talk of the AFL world this week with the 26-year-old the centre of transfer speculation, despite holding a seven-year deal with the Demons.
Oliver met with club officials this week and was reportedly told to "shape up or ship off". The Demons are keen to keep their gun midfielder, but want to see some changes in his behaviour.
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The Demons released a statement on Friday saying Oliver would remain at the club in 2024. This comes as Simon Goodwin delivered a pointed message to the importance of team culture in his end of season awards speech on Friday night.
And now, Oliver's manager Nick Gieshen has spoken to AFL Media and claimed Oliver wanted to play under coach Goodwin. “It’s been confronting, but out of all of this it’s an opportunity to grow. Off the back of a lot of the hard, honest, robust conversations it’s given him a chance to get some stuff off his chest and some time to heal,” Gieshen said.
“He very much loves the Melbourne Football Club, it’s like his family. He’s grown up there, he feels very strongly about the footy club and the players and coaches, and sometimes families fight but he’s got enormous respect for ‘Goody’ (coach Simon Goodwin) and as much as it’s been challenging I don’t think he can see himself playing under another coach because of all the support he’s had from the footy club.”
Gieshen went on to admit the interest in the 26-year-old from other clubs was genuine. “Obviously it grew a bit of momentum. As the noise grew louder there were a couple of clubs that were proactive and it was genuine,” he added.
Simon Goodwin uncompromising on standards
On Friday evening, it was confirmed Oliver would remain at the Melbourne Demons. And later that night, head coach Goodwin made a pointed speech when he took a hard line stance after claiming the club would be 'uncompromising' in their dedication in creating a solid team environment. “One thing that has enabled us to keep showing up is our culture,” Goodwin said.
“A culture that has been built over a period of time and is the piece that we will be uncompromising in maintaining and building further to achieve the ultimate success." Goodwin then elaborated on the team environment and said every player needs to be on board.
“Everyone...needs to be heading in the same direction. As we head into the off-season, I’ve never been more confident that we can achieve this as a club.”
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