Star midfielder Clayton Oliver has been out of AFL action since Round 10, as the 26-year-old’s injury cloud grows.
In July, soon after coach Simon Goodwin said he was “hopeful” of Oliver’s return from hamstring troubles, the midfielder pulled out of the day's training with soreness.
The complexity of the injury has since been discovered, with the star now on track to receive an AFL recall.
Clayton Oliver set for AFL return - Wednesday, August 9
After missing much of the home and away season, Oliver could finally return against Carlton on Saturday.
The midfielder has missed ten games since going down with injury, with his recovery pushed back with an infected blister and further hamstring complications.
Demons GM of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson is confident Oliver will be available after this week's training.
“Pleasingly he's right to go this week, now we’ve still got a few training sessions but our expectation is that Claz will play,” Richardson said on Wednesday.
“It's been frustrating for him and probably frustrating for our fans that he hasn't been out there sooner. It was a challenging injury and we had to make sure that we treated it with the respect that that sort of injury requires.
“It's good the team have been able to keep performing well in his absence because he's such a good player. It's great to have him back and we're going to have a fresh Clayton Oliver leading into the finals, which is exciting.”
Clayton Oliver's injury complications worsen - Thursday, July 6
Melbourne has provided a fresh update on Oliver after the star's shock exit from training.
According to Demons GM Richardson, Oliver has experienced further hamstring discomfort after an unexpected stay in the hospital.
“Clayton has a complex hamstring injury, due to the fact that the injury is located where the muscle attaches to the tendon, and to further complicate that, there is injury to two separate hamstring muscles,” Richardson said.
“There is no doubt that Clayton’s recovery has been complicated by the week he was required to spend immobile in hospital.
“What we have experienced so far is that Clayton can comfortably achieve 90 per cent of his running capacity, but as we saw yesterday, he is unable to get to full speed to pass his minimum training markers.
“This suggests that due to the discomfort Clayton felt during his run-throughs, further recovery time is required. At this stage, we expect this will be three to four weeks.
“The club will continue to explore all treatment options for Clayton, but as with all players, we won’t be taking any risks with his return to play timelines.”
Clayton Oliver's frustrations boil before leaving Demons training early - Wednesday, July 5
Frustrations are building with the star and his club, as Melbourne struggle to hold onto a top-four spot without their best midfielder.
In intriguing vision, Oliver was also seen arguing with a trainer before leaving training.
Clayton Oliver argues with a trainer in the latest hurdle to return from injury. See the pictures with @cleary_mitch in 7NEWS at 6pm. https://t.co/5zYfOfGqUb @7AFL #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/v3kvuRZ88y
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) July 5, 2023
What is Clayton Oliver’s injury?
Oliver pulled up sore following Melbourne’s loss to Port Adelaide in May, with the injury assessed that week as a hamstring strain.
The midfielder progressed well in the early stages of rehabilitation, before being admitted to the hospital with an infected blister in June.
Speaking to 7NEWS shortly after, Oliver said the he was “pretty close” to a return before that week, but was “nowhere near it” at the time.
The Demons star was expected to return to training before Round 17 following his recovery from the infection but was unable to complete training.
Oliver left training early on Wednesday during warm-ups, though it is unknown if he continued training in the main session.
Journalist Roger Oldridge, who watched the Demons warm up saw that the midfielder wasn't quite right.
“Clayton came out onto the track about 10 minutes after that, chatted with the fitness staff and did some run-throughs,” he said on SEN Mornings.
“He got through about four of them, and on the fifth one he pulled up short and headed straight back inside.
“I don’t want to spoil the illusion, I’m not a doctor, I’m not even a physiotherapist, but it didn’t look good.”
MORE: AFL Injury List 2023
