Melbourne star Clayton Oliver has been spotted in a heated argument with a club trainer after attempting to prove his fitness on the eve of his side’s must win clash against St Kilda.
Vision from Wednesday’s training session showed the premiership star arguing with the club’s head of strength and conditioning, Selwyn Griffiths on Gosch’s Paddock, with both parties clearly frustrated at Oliver’s slow recovery.
According to 9News Melbourne, the argument between the pair came about after Griffiths asked Oliver to complete sprints at a certain speed, speeds which the premiership star argued he would never reach in a match.
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The 157-gamer, who hasn’t played since round 10 due to hamstring setbacks, as well as suffering an infected blister on his foot, left the track early after only managing to get through the warm-up.
Melbourne currently sits fourth on the AFL ladder on percentage, with a win-loss record of 9-6, but has lost four of its last six outings, including a heartbreaking two-point loss to the GWS Giants on Sunday.
The damning footage comes after leading AFL journalist Caroline Wilson questioned the Demons’ behavioural standards and cited last year’s public brawl between Melbourne champion Steven May and teammate Jake Melksham as the catalyst for a premiership hangover.
The prospect of another week without Oliver in their side also means the Demons could struggle against a youthful St Kilda midfield on Saturday, in addition to their dismal kicking, that saw them record 5.15 against the Giants.
Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes pointed to the Demons’ poor kicking as another one of the team’s downfalls.
“I think they can turn it around, but they need some more from some of their players,” Cornes said on Footy Classified on Monday night.
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Oliver’s ongoing absence isn’t the only injury headache for Demons coach Simon Goodwin with star forward Bayley Fritsch set to miss the majority of the next two months after undergoing foot surgery this week.
The Demons face the fifth-placed Saints on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium, with the winner of the blockbuster clash receiving a major boost in its top four bid.
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