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0 Matthew Lloyd believes Melbourne’s internal distrust in Clayton Oliver has the ability to destroy the foundations of the club and its culture as their premiership window comes into question.
It comes after star midfielder Christian Petracca expressed that he, alongside other senior club leaders, felt that Oliver had broken their trust over a tumultuous off season.
Despite a series of off-field incidents throughout 2023, Oliver played in the club’s ‘Opening Round’ loss to the Swans at the SCG last Thursday night, collecting 30 disposals.
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In October he was admitted to hospital after a seizure, the cause of which was partially attributed to side effects of an ADHD medication.
The 26-year-old then took extended personal leave in January after he was sent home early from a pre-season camp
Lloyd has now called on the 2021 premiership star to recognise his faults and continue to contribute consistently to the club on a broader scale for more than just one game a week.
“It’s so much on Clayton to carry his weight now, because it takes so much to win a premiership,” Lloyd said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Wednesday night.
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“He lets them down, down the track, it can really split a playing group.”
Petracca opened up on how he and senior players, like Christian Salem and Jack Viney, were feeling regarding Oliver’s behaviour behind the scenes.
“I have a little bit (lost trust in Oliver) in some ways, but not in the last 10 or 11 weeks,” Petracca said on Fox Footy on Tuesday night.
“He’s earned that trust back significantly. The thing that I have learned over the past seven or eight weeks is the power of forgiveness.”
It comes as journalist Damien Barrett believes that Oliver’s shock early return was purely circumstantial, due to the heartbreaking and unplanned retirement of Angus Brayshaw on the eve of the season due to concussion complications.
“I’ve got no doubt that Oliver was allowed back into the team in a timeframe that was brought forward by the absence of (Angus) Brayshaw permanently,” Barrett said.
“Melbourne can argue what they want, but they had him (Oliver) out of the team and out of their planning for the season, as recently as late January.”
Jimmy Bartel also declared that Oliver’s behaviour could rip the group further apart, as fears deepen around their ability to perform come September, after two straight-sets exits from the finals since 2022.
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“I’s incredibly frustrating. Melbourne have been … a team near the top. You’ve only got a finite amount of time to really capitalise on the group you’ve got,” Bartel said.
“It becomes frustrating because some guys are all in and other guys aren’t.”
Melbourne will look to get their first win on the board against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday at the MCG.
