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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
Lyon comments on Demons president’s strong defence of Oliver
Andrew Slevison • May 7th, 2025 1:53 pm
Melbourne president Brad Green passionately defended Clayton Oliver in a social media post on Tuesday.
Green was replying to a 9News post on X regarding Oliver’s availability this weekend when he described the treatment of the midfielder as an “absolute disgrace”.
Rumours have swirled around Oliver’s situation at the Demons with SEN regular Tom Morris reporting that the four-time best and fairest might be seeking a fresh start away from Melbourne.
Green seems to have taken offence at the constant chatter involving Oliver and the frequent questioning of his desire, or apparent lack thereof, to remain a Demons player.
Melbourne great Garry Lyon commented on speculation that Oliver is unhappy at a lack of overall game time on Monday.
The former Dees captain again passed comment on the three-time All-Australian, asked if he supports Green’s strong stance on the matter.
“Not as strong as that, no,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“It’s an overreach for me. And don’t go after the media because they’ve got glass jaws, they’ll come flying back at you.
“Calling them a disgrace is a bit strong.
“I know the frustrations. As I said to you yesterday the frustration was around some of the reporting which was inaccurate - their words - about the reasons why Clayton didn’t play.”
Assessing the situation more holistically, Lyon pondered some words from Gerard Whateley on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
Was it coincidental that the two main papers in Melbourne - the Herald Sun and The Age - both had stories about Oliver at the same time?
“I hadn’t drawn that conclusion, my mind hadn’t gone there, but Gerard said there was too much of a coincidence to have these two big stories that ran parallel on the very same day,” Lyon continued.
“Therefore my question to him was in whose interest is it to have this story if you’re saying someone has been backgrounded or leaked, to be a bit more aggressive.
“I think he said in the end it was probably the Oliver camp to try and get this discussion out there, to try and condition people and get their head around the fact that this could happen.
“There was great level of detail particularly in Jay Clark’s story.”
Lyon’s co-host Tim Watson felt the way Green reacted was a bit too strong considering, in isolation, it was a simple question.
Watson said: “I’m not going to defend every journalist for their behaviour but the idea that somebody is walking to their training venue and you ask them a question…
“I think Brad Green’s response to that is over the top. The question was, ‘Are you going to play this week?’.”
Lyon did not find it an aggressive doorstep by any means, but can understand the overall point made by Green given the intense media focus after Oliver took last weekend off for his mental wellbeing.
“We’ve seen doorstops which have been pile-ons where people surround them, and that’s too much,” Lyon said further.
“This was just one journalist, I didn’t think it was over the top. I wouldn’t like to do them (doorstops) by the way.
“But I wonder when a player like Harry McKay or Clayton Oliver takes a week off because they’re struggling, whether there is a bit of an understanding to say, ‘Ok, let’s just give the player some space’.
“When the player is back at training then that’s a change of situation.
“I am supportive of the fact to be understanding of the situation and not to badger - not saying anyone has badgered in this case.”
Oliver is some chance to return for the Demons when they meet Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday.
